Abortion

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 6 February (WA 3) which stated that "safe abortion reduces recourse to unsafe abortion and thus saves lives", whether their policy position is also that safe abortion is a suitable option to reduce the risk of physical and mental harm where a child has been conceived as a result of rape.

Baroness Northover: The Department for International Development's (DfID) position is that safe abortion reduces recourse to unsafe abortion and thus saves maternal lives. The July 2011 DfID practice paper clearly outlines the UK policy position on safe and unsafe abortion in developing countries. However, access to safe and legal abortion in the circumstances above depends on an individual country's legislation and policy.

Abu Qatada

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to appeal against Mr Justice Mitting's decision of 6 February that Mr Abu Qatada should be granted bail.

Lord Henley: The Government were disappointed that the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) decided to bail Abu Qatada. However, the bail conditions are among the most stringent imposed for anybody facing deportation from the UK. Abu Qatada will only be allowed out of his house for two one-hour periods each day. He will not be allowed to access the internet or any electronic communication devices. He will not be allowed to travel outside an approved boundary. Visitors will need to be approved under very strict conditions. He will be subject to a specific condition stopping him going to mosques or leading group prayers. There is very little prospect of successfully challenging SIAC's decision to bail, but if Abu Qatada breaches any of these conditions he will be arrested.

Abu Qatada

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Abu Qatada is a British citizen; when Abu Qatada was first convicted in Jordan for his purported role in bomb plots; when Abu Qatada entered the United Kingdom; when the wife and family of Abu Qatada entered the United Kingdom; and whether Abu Qatada and his family were given the right to become resident in the United Kingdom.

Lord Henley: Abu Qatada is not a British citizen and does not have the right to reside here. He came to the UK in 1993 on a false passport. Qatada was tried in absentia by the Jordanian authorities in two separate trials in 1999 and 2000. He was found guilty of terrorism offences, including involvement in the bombings of the American School and the Jerusalem Hotel in Amman in 1998 and conspiracy to cause explosions at western and Israeli targets in Jordan to coincide with the millennium celebrations.
	The Home Office will not comment on the status of Qatada's family.

Accidents: Home Accidents

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the recent call by the chief executive of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for the Government to tackle the "hidden epidemic of home accidents".

Earl Howe: The Government are taking steps to improve the health and well-being of the population through their reforms to the health and social care system and through policies across government to support health and safety, including home safety.
	Local authorities, advised by directors of public health, and supported by ring-fenced public health budgets, will have responsibility for improving the health and well-being of their local populations, including through injury prevention in the home. This will involve working in partnership with local organisations, and developing local strategies with the support of health and well-being boards and the use of joint strategic needs assessments. This is supported by the published Public Health Outcomes Framework, which includes indicators on reducing hospital admissions due to injury for under-18s and reducing falls for the over-65s.

Aerospace Industry

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to build upon their efforts to encourage employers to take on young apprentices in aerospace-related industries, especially in small and medium-sized aviation firms.

Baroness Wilcox: Aerospace and aviation is one of the sectors we are targeting in the second round of bidding for a share of the £6 million Higher Apprenticeship Fund recently announced by the Prime Minister. Small firms in these industries will also be able to access the new incentive of £1,500 to hire their first young apprentices.
	Backed with £6 million of financial support from BIS (via the Skills Funding Agency) Rolls Royce is developing a new, state-of-the-art apprentice academy. This will enable the company to train additional apprentices, beyond its own requirements, to feed the wider supply chain. We are also working closely with SEMTA (the sector skills council) and ADS (the national trade association for aerospace), through a Sector Skills Group, to help the UK aerospace industry to secure the workforce it needs.

Aerospace Industry

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage aerospace firms to visit schools and talk to pupils about their work and the skills they require in their employees.

Baroness Wilcox: Many of our aerospace companies have close links to schools and arrange visits and talks with pupils and students about the UK aerospace industry, the nature of the highly skilled jobs involved, the opportunities for careers, and the range of routes to entry; including through apprenticeships and at technician and graduate level.
	As part of the Aerospace Growth Partnership, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is working jointly with industry on a range of issues. These include looking at ways in which government and industry can work together to increase public understanding of the sector and the opportunities it offers.
	To build on this activity, and to highlight the diversity of careers available, we are working with businesses across the UK advanced manufacturing base to open their doors to young people, teachers and careers advisers through the "See Inside Manufacturing" programme. As part of this, it has been agreed that the aerospace sector will hold a series of special events for schools in June.
	BIS is also a sponsor of Futures Day to be held on Friday 13 July at the Farnborough International Airshow. This will host 10,000 young people (aged 11 to 21) from schools, universities and youth groups. They will participate in a range of interactive events showing how STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects have a direct impact in the real world, as well as conferences, and a careers fair.

Afghanistan

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any British companies are negotiating with the Government of Afghanistan concerning mining or metallurgical projects; and what action they are taking to ensure that all future contracts and concessions will be transparent and comply with the European Union transparency directive, taking into account the reasonable interests of local communities.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are not aware of any British companies currently negotiating with Afghanistan on any mineral resource projects.
	At the international conference on Afghanistan, held in December 2011 in Bonn, the international community committed itself to support Afghanistan's efforts to develop a transparent and accountable regulatory framework to guarantee that its mineral wealth directly benefits the Afghan people. The UK, along with other member states, is currently considering a proposal for improving transparency in the extractives industry as part of the revisions to the European Union accounting and transparency directives.

Afghanistan: UN Mediator

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support the appointment of a United Nations mediator for Afghanistan to negotiate with all internal and external parties to the recent war.

Lord Howell of Guildford: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 30 June 2011 (Official Report, col. WA457).

Air Quality

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many premature deaths are caused by poor air quality in London each year.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Laird, dated February 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many premature deaths are caused by poor air quality in London each year. (HL15817)
	The accurate reporting of mortality statistics depends on the complete recording of all relevant causes of death by medical practitioners and coroners. Medical practitioners are required to complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) to the best of their knowledge and belief. Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires only those conditions that contributed directly to death to be recorded. The MCCD is not designed to collect information on risk factors or exposures related to the development of disease, such as exposure to air pollution. It is therefore not possible to provide an answer to your question based on information collected at death registration.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) state that the most important air pollutant in terms of health effects is particulate matter (PM-ie particles emitted from vehicle exhausts or chimneys or formed in the air from reactions between other pollutants). Estimates indicate that air pollution reduces life expectancy in the UK by an average of six months. Further information on the health effects of air pollution can be found on the DEFRA website and in the following reports: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/air/air- quality
	'Long-term exposure to air pollution: effect on mortality' (2009), the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP), available at: http://www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/pdfs/finallongtermeffectsmort2009report.pdf
	'An Economic Analysis to inform the Air Quality Strategy' (2007) DEFRA, available at: http://archive. defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/air/airquality/publications/stratreview-analysis/index.htm

Alcohol

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what new proposals they have about the issue of binge drinking.

Earl Howe: The Government will set out their proposals on tackling the problems associated with alcohol misuse in the forthcoming alcohol strategy. We expect to publish the Government's alcohol strategy in the first months of this year.

Alcohol

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide an estimate of the additional revenue that would be raised by an increase in duty of 20 per cent on all alcoholic drinks; whether they estimate that such an increase would reduce the consumption of alcohol, and if so, by how much; and what they estimate would be the impact on expenditure on healthcare and criminal justice.

Lord Sassoon: The estimated revenues from increasing alcohol duties are published after duty rate decisions have been made and the estimates have been approved by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
	For an indication of the effect of a 1 per cent increase in duty on all alcoholic drinks, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave him on 5 December 2011(WA103).
	The effects of a 1 per cent increase in duties, however, cannot be used directly to derive the effects of a 20 per cent increase.
	The Government's assessment of the available evidence on the impact of increasing alcohol prices on social outcomes has been set out in the Home Office report available online at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.ik/publications/alcohol-drugs/alcohol/impacts-alcohol-price-review?view=Binary.
	On balance, the evidence suggests that increases in alcohol prices are linked to decreases in harms related to alcohol consumption. However, these relationships are not always straightforward and there is no automatic mechanism translating duty rates increases to savings in public expenditure.

Apprenticeships

Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor equality of access to apprenticeship schemes.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 January 2012 at: http://www. thedataservice.org. uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current. The supplementary tables for the SFR contain data on apprenticeship starts and completions by age, gender, ethnicity and learners with learning difficulty and/or disabilities (LLDD).
	Her Majesty's Government are taking steps to increase equality of access to apprenticeships. The National Apprenticeship Service has established a number of pilots with the specific aim of increasing diversity in the background of people applying for apprenticeships. The pilots will finish this spring. The pilots focus on three areas: gender, black and minority ethnic groups and vulnerable young people, including those with learning disabilities and/or difficulties. They are trialling a number of activities aimed at reducing inequalities within apprenticeships.
	The Minister for Apprenticeships, John Hayes, has received regular updates on the progress of the diversity pilots and will consider the recommendations from the final report due next month. My department will work closely with all our partners to implement recommendations from the pilots to improve equality of access to apprenticeships. Any new policies will be subject to an equality impact assessment.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether extra costs were incurred at Kandahar airfield to enable it to operate Tornado aircraft instead of Harriers; and, if so, how much.

Lord Astor of Hever: We continually make infrastructure improvements to Kandahar airfield. It is not possible to isolate specific costs related solely to Tornado.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 14 February (HL15261), whether they consider the Royal Navy Merlin Mk 2 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) force a high-end airborne ASW platform.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Merlin Mk2 Helicopter is a high-end airborne platform for localised Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). Merlin plays an important role in the United Kingdom's layered approach to ASW and, as part of a High Readiness Task Group, Merlin can provide airborne persistence.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 14 February (HL15261), whether they intend to create a new RAF capability for anti-submarine warfare (ASW); or whether they intend to extend the Royal Navy's existing ASW capability to embrace any future need for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or fixed-wing capability.

Lord Astor of Hever: Following the removal of Nimrod from service, the department has conducted a number of studies into the resulting capability implications, but no decision has been made on whether a long-term manned or unmanned replacement for the Maritime Patrol Aircraft is required.

Armed Forces: Medals

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 7 February (WA 31), when they expect to conclude their deliberations and reach a decision in connection with the wearing of the Merchant Navy Medal.

Earl Attlee: Further to my Answer of 7 February, Her Majesty's Government are actively taking forward this issue. The granting of honours and decorations is a prerogative power of the Sovereign and due process must be followed.

Armed Forces: Staff

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the job titles of all senior officers in HM Forces at the rank of three star and above.

Lord Astor of Hever: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	Job titles of all senior officers in HM Forces at the rank of three star and above.
	
		
			 Appointments at Three Star and Above 
			 Navy Appointments 
			 First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff 
			 Commander in Chief Fleet and Commander Allied Maritime Command Northwood (NATO) 
			 Second Sea Lord and Commander in Chief Naval Home Command 
			 Deputy Commander in Chief Fleet and Chief of Staff Navy Command Headquarters 
			 Army Appointments 
			 Chief of the General Staff 
			 Commander Land Forces 
			 Team Leader Army 2020 
			 Adjutant General 
			 Commander Force Development and Training 
			 RAF Appointments 
			 Commander-In-Chief Air 
			 Chief of the Air Staff 
			 Deputy Commander-In-Chief Operations 
			 Deputy Commander-In-Chief Personnel/Air Member for Personnel 
			 MoD Centre Appointments 
			 Surgeon General 
			 Chief of Defence Intelligence 
			 Chief of Defence Staff 
			 Vice Chief of Defence Staff 
			 Defence Senior Adviser to the Middle East 
			 Director General Military Aviation Authority Headquarters 
			 UK Military Representative NATO Headquarters 
			 Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Capability 
			 Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Personnel and Training 
			 Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations) 
			 Chief of Defence Intelligence 
			 Joint Force Command Deputy Commander 
			 Defence Equipment & Support Appointments 
			 Chief of Materiel (Fleet) (and Chief of Fleet Support on the Navy Board) 
			 Chief of Materiel (Land) and Quartermaster General 
			 Chief of Materiel (AIR)/Air Member for Material 
			 Permanent Joint Headquarters Appointments 
			 Chief of Joint Operations, PJHQ 
			 Deputy Commander International Security Assistance Force and United Kingdom National Contingent Commander - Afghanistan 
			 Commander Joint Force Command Headquarters 
			 NATO, EU and International Appointments 
			 Chief of Staff Supreme Allied Commander (Transformation), NATO 
			 Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe 
			 Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps

Armed Forces: Staff

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the job titles of all officers in HM Forces at the rank of two star.

Lord Astor of Hever: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	Job titles of all officers in HM Forces at the rank of two star.
	
		
			 Appointments at Two Star 
			 Navy Appointments 
			 Commander (Operations) 
			 Chief of Staff (Capability) 
			 Chief of Staff (Aviation) 
			 Chief of Staff (Personnel) & Naval Secretary Commander UK Maritime Force 
			 Flag Officer Sea Training 
			 Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England & Northern Ireland and Flag Officer Reserve Forces 
			 Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff 
			 Commander UK Amphibious Force 
			 Defence Reform (Maritime) Implementation Team Leader (short term post ends August 2012) 
			 Army Appointments 
			 Assistant Chief of the General Staff 
			 Chief of Staff Land Forces 
			 General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division 
			 General Officer Commanding 3rd (UK) Division 
			 General Officer Commanding Theatre Troops 
			 Deputy Commander Land Forces (Reserves) 
			 Director General Personnel 
			 Military Secretary 
			 Chaplain General 
			 Director General Army Medical Services 
			 Director General Army Legal Services 
			 General Officer Commanding Support Command (Designate) 
			 General Officer Commanding 2nd Division 
			 General Officer Commanding London District and Major General The Household Division 
			 General Officer Commanding British Forces Germany 
			 Director General Capability 
			 Director General Army Recruiting and Training 
			 Commandant Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 
			 Director General Logistics, Support and Equipment 
			 Commander Joint Helicopter Command 
			 RAF Appointments 
			 Air Officer Commanding 1 Group 
			 RAF High Wycombe -Joint Combat Aircraft Study 
			 Director of Legal Services 
			 Air Officer Commanding 22 Group (Training) 
			 Chief of Staff Health/Director General Medical Services 
			 Chief of Staff Capability 
			 Assistant Chief of Air Staff 
			 Air Officer Commanding 2 Group 
			 Director General Chaplain Services 
			 Chief Of Staff Personnel 
			 Executive Officer/Chief Engineer Air Command HQ 
			 MoD Centre Appointments 
			 Director (Precision Attack) (& Controller of the Navy on the Navy Board) 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Intelligence Capability) 
			 Director Operations Group, Military Aviation Authority 
			 Head of the British Defence Staff (Washington) & Defence Attache 
			 Deputy Chief Executive UK Hydrographic Office (and National Hydrographer) 
			 Director Training & Education (Post ends 30 March 2012) 
			 Senior Directing Staff (Naval), Royal College of Defence Studies 
			 Senior Directing Staff (Army) Royal College of Defence Studies 
			 Senior Directing Staff (Air) Royal College of Defence Studies 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Nuclear & Chemical, Biological) 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets) 
			 Director Special Forces 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy) 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Strategy and Plans) 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Global Issues) 
			 Director Battlespace Manoeuvre and Master General of the Ordnance 
			 Director Defence College of Management and Technology 
			 Senior British Loan Service Officer (Oman) 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Health) 
			 Director of the Oman Typhoon Project Team 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Strategy Defence Concepts & Doctrine 
			 Commander Joint Medical Command 
			 Director Information Superiority 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Operations 
			 Commandant Joint Services Command and Staff College 
			 Military Aviation Authority Director of Technical Airworthiness 
			 Chief Executive Service Personnel and Veterans Agency 
			 Climate & Energy Security Envoy (seconded to FCO; post ends 30 March 2012) 
			 Defence Equipment & Support Appointments 
			 Director Submarines 
			 Chief of Strategic Systems Executive 
			 Director Land Equipment 
			 Director Information Systems and Services 
			 Director Joint Support Chain 
			 Director Materiel Strategy 
			 Director Combat Air 
			 Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Logistics Operations 
			 Permanent Joint Headquarters Appointments 
			 Chief of Staff (Operations), PJHQ 
			 Chief of Staff Headquarters Joint Forces Command 
			 Chief of Staff Headquarters ISAF Joint Command 
			 Senior British Military Adviser United States Central Command 
			 Deputy Force Commander United Nations Mission Democratic Republic Congo (MONUC) 
			 Director Joint Warfare 
			 Commander British Forces Cyprus 
			 NATO, EU and International Appointments 
			 Deputy Chief of Staff, Force Readiness, Supreme HQ Allied Powers Europe, NATO 
			 Deputy Director EU Military Staff 
			 Chief of Staff Maritime Component Command Naples, NATO 
			 Deputy Commander Striking Force NATO 
			 Director Force Reintegration, HQ International Security & Assistance Force, Afghanistan 
			 Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Representative Europe 
			 Chief of Staff Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps 
			 Deputy Commander NATO Rapid Deployment Corps - Italy 
			 Defence Infrastructure Organisation Appointments 
			 Head Strategic Asset-Management and Programme Team

Armed Forces: Tanks

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they assess to be the transitional and planning costs associated with the introduction of 400 tanks of a new advanced type not already in an existing inventory.

Lord De Mauley: Introduction of any new equipment capability to the defence inventory, including tanks, must take into account the planning and resourcing of all associated defence lines of development. These include training, infrastructure, logistic and technical support, doctrine and personnel, as well as initial acquisition costs. For a programme of 400 tanks, these costs would be significant, although it is not possible for the Ministry of Defence to estimate them with any accuracy without significant additional information about the equipment programme and related defence infrastructure, not least because the UK has not undertaken an equivalent programme in recent years.

Arms Trade Treaty

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to encourage a comprehensive arms trade treaty in July.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is fully committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The UK delegation has played an active and constructive role in all the preparatory committee meetings and good progress has been made towards an ATT; including securing a joint P5 statement in support of the United Nations process. We continue to engage with key states, both bilaterally and multilaterally, ahead of the crucial negotiating conference in July 2012; while also working closely with civil society and the UK defence industry to build widespread support for the treaty.

Bahrain

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 7 February (WA 31), whether it is their policy to raise individual cases with some Governments but not with the Government of Bahrain.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are committed to supporting human rights defenders, and we have raised human rights issues with the Government of Bahrain at ministerial and senior official levels.

Bailiffs

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government , following their publication of new National Standards for Enforcement Agents, what steps the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Communities and Local Government will take to ensure that they are adopted by HM Courts and Tribunals Service, local authorities and other public bodies that use bailiffs.

Lord McNally: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals have service contracts with private bailiff companies. These contracts set out the standards of conduct and behaviour required and includes the National Standards for Enforcement Agents.
	Alongside this, the Department for Communities and Local Government is reviewing what guidance is provided to local authorities on council tax.
	A consultation paper Transforming Bailiff Action published on 17 February seeks wider views on the content of the National Standards for Enforcement Agents as well as proposals to simplify and clarify the enforcement process, improve the accountability of enforcement agents and address unnecessary or inappropriate enforcement activity.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are taking action to review the methods used to calculate the London Interbank Offered Rate for currencies and to establish whether bank customers have been financially disadvantaged.

Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority and other national authorities are investigating the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) setting mechanism. EU antitrust regulators are also examining this issue.
	The setting of LIBOR is not a regulated activity under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The methods used to calculate LIBOR are publically available, as are the data made available by contributor banks. The process is regularly reviewed by market participants.

Banking: World Bank

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations about the selection of the President of the World Bank with reference to (1) criteria for professional applications, relevant proven experience, expertise, global credibility and character, and (2) a transparent method of selection; and, if so, to whom and on what basis.

Baroness Rawlings: Britain supports an open, merit-based and transparent selections process for the selection of the next World Bank President.
	In April 2011 the World Bank Board agreed criteria for selection of the President. These include i) a proven track record of leadership and experience managing large international organisations, ii) the ability to articulate a clear vision of the Bank's development mission and iii) effective co-operation and diplomatic communication skills.
	The World Bank Board also approved a process for shortlisting candidates, holding interviews and final selection. This is available on the World Bank website.

Banks: Green Investment Bank

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 9 February (HL 15482), whether they will list the 32 locations that have put themselves forward for consideration as the location for the Green Investment Bank.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The following locations have put themselves forward for consideration as a location for the Green Investment Bank:
	Bicester
	Birmingham
	Brighton
	Bristol
	Cardiff
	Chester
	Cornwall
	Coventry and Warwickshire
	Derby
	Durham
	Edinburgh
	Gloucester
	Hull
	Ipswich
	Leeds
	Leicester
	Liverpool
	London
	Manchester
	Milton Keynes
	Newcastle
	Norwich
	Nottingham
	Peterborough
	Renfrewshire
	Sheffield
	Southampton
	Stoke-on-Trent
	Sunderland
	Tees Valley
	Torbay
	Warrington

Banks: Lending

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the Lending Code and its application to consumers unable to pay off all their credit card debt each month.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The Lending Code, the latest edition of which was issued in March 2011, sets out minimum standards of good practice for lenders, including credit card providers. A key commitment in the code is that firms should act sympathetically and positively when considering a customer's financial difficulties.
	It is important to note that not paying the outstanding credit balance in full each month is the customer's choice and is not, in itself, an indicator of financial difficulties, although an inability to meet the required minimum payment or only meeting the minimum payment over an extended period could be. The code requires credit card providers to include on the monthly statement a warning about the risk of making only minimum payments.
	Section 9 of the code sets out the support that should be provided to customers who experience financial difficulties and requires firms to make contact with customers who believe they may be in or could be at risk of getting into financial difficulties. The support provided by the firm under the code should be proportionate to the severity of the customer's problems.
	As a self-regulatory code, compliance with the terms of the Lending Code is independently monitored by the Lending Standards Board. The Lending Code Sponsors publish short guides which set out in plain English for consumers what to expect from lenders, including credit card providers, who follow the Lending Code.

Banks: Lending

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the continued decline in bank lending is a function of reduced demand for credit or reduced supply; and whether they believe higher profit margins and credit terms required by banks have contributed to the decline in bank lending.

Lord Sassoon: The Government are committed to improving the flow of credit to businesses that need it in order to grow.
	Last year the Chancellor announced a commitment by the UK's biggest high street banks on lending expectations and capacity. As part of this agreement the banks committed to lend £l90 billion of new credit to businesses in 2011, of which £76 billion was to be to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The latter was a 15 per cent increase on 2010 lending of £66 billion.
	The Bank of England published the total Merlin figures on 13 February 2012. They show that in 2011 UK banks lent over £214 billion to British businesses -a 20 per cent increase compared with 2010, and exceeding the overall lending target by £24 billion. Figures also show a 13 per cent increase in SME lending compared with the year before, with SME lending rising to over £74 billion.
	The Chancellor has also announced a package of credit-easing interventions worth up to £21 billion to improve the flow of credit to businesses that do not have ready access to capital markets including:
	A National Loan Guarantee Scheme (NLGS), which will lead to reductions in the cost of bank loans for smaller businesses (those with turnover of up to £50 million). The scheme will allow banks to raise up to £20 billion of funding with a government guarantee, to lend directly to smaller businesses at a lower cost. In many cases this will lead to a reduction of up to 1 percentage point on business loan rates. More information regarding the NLGS will be announced at Budget.A Business Finance Partnership (BFP), initially of £1 billion, to deliver additional finance to mid-sized businesses through non-bank lending channels. The BFP will initially co-invest, with private sector investors like insurance companies, in loan funds that will lend directly to mid-sized businesses.

Banks: Lending

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider instructing the Bank of England to introduce a United Kingdom equivalent of the European Central Bank's Long-term Refinancing Operation to encourage increased bank lending at competitive rates.

Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England is independently responsible for operations in the sterling money markets. These are designed to implement the Monetary Policy Committee's decisions in order to meet the inflation target; and to provide short-term liquidity insurance to the banking system to support financial stability. The Bank of England's asset purchase scheme has ensured UK banks have access to a substantial amount of liquidity.

BBC: Licence Fee

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was collected under the BBC television licence fee in each of the last five years, including from those covered by the Government subsidy for the over-75s; and from how many payees.

Baroness Rawlings: According to the BBC's annual report and accounts for each year, the figures are as shown in the following tables. The use of two tables in the answer reflects the fact that the BBC changed the measure for recording the number of licences from millions to thousands in its annual reports.
	
		
			 Table one 
			 Year Total licence fee income (£m) 75 and over (£m) (included in total income column) *(l) Total number (000's) of licences in force*(2) 
			 2010-11 3,513.4 579.4 25,594 
			 2009-10 3,446.8 556.4 25,459 
			 2008-09 3,493.8 532.9 25,364 
		
	
	
		
			 Table Two:*(2) 
			 Year Total licence fee income (£m) 75 and over (£m) (included in total income column) *(1) Total number (m) of licences in force *(2) 
			 2007-08 3,368.8 508.4 25.3 
			 2006-07 3,242.9 486.6 25.1 
		
	
	*(1) Includes receipts from Guernsey and the Isle of Man which are excluded from DWP payments.
	*(2) Rather than number of licence sales.

BBC: Licence Fee

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 24 January (WA 219), what percentage of collected BBC television licence fee payments for 2011 will be spent in pursuance of the decision by the BBC Trustees to subsidise the BBC pension scheme with £905 million of additional employer contributions to cover its liabilities; and whether they have made any representations about whether any loss of BBC programme-making capacity may result.

Baroness Rawlings: The Government have made no assessment of what percentage of the licence fee will be spent on the BBC pension scheme, nor made any representations about any consequences for programme-making capacity. These are matters for the BBC and there is no provision for government to intervene.

BBC: Licence Fee

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Government provided to the BBC under their policy of subsidising television licence fees for British citizens aged over 75 in each of the past five years; for how many people each year; and how the amount is calculated.

Lord Freud: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) paid the following amounts to the BBC in respect of the following numbers of beneficiaries in the past five years:
	
		
			 Year  GB NI Total 
			 2006-07 Value (£) 473,898,313 11,544,136 485,442,449 
			  Numbers 3,950,209 93,646 4,043,855 
			 2007-08 Value (£) 495,164,499 12,072,114 507,236,613 
			  Numbers 3,901,506 92,803 3,994,309 
			 2008-09 Value(£) 518,995,581 12,696,902 531,692,483 
			  Numbers 3,969,986 95,057 4,065,043 
			 2009-10 Value (£) 541,881,866 13,240,953 555,122,819 
			  Numbers 4,071,493 97,069 4,168,562 
			 2010-11 Value (£) 564,247,936 13,886,057 578,133,993 
			  Numbers 4,124,297 99,198 4,223,495 
		
	
	The above data are derived from the BBC's audited summary of accounts; the values, which have been rounded to the nearest pound, are reconciled to DWP payment data. The values do not include figures for Guernsey and the Isle of Man (which are not funded by the DWP); values for Guernsey and the Isle of Man are, however, included in the BBC's annual report. The numbers represent the number of licences issued rather than the number in force at any one time.
	The above information has been calculated by the BBC on the basis of independently audited actual expenditure data.

BBC: Licence Fee

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the BBC regarding the charge of £5 for payment of the television licence fee by quarterly direct debit and not for payment by credit card.

Baroness Rawlings: Government have not made any representations.

BBC: World Service Trust

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 28 November 2011 (WA 2-3), why the business case for the grant of £90 million to the BBC World Service Trust was not published on the Department for International Development website; and whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the business case and the initial correspondence on the decision to make the grant.

Baroness Northover: The business case for the £90 million grant to BBC Media Action (formerly knows as the World Service Trust) is on the Department for International Development website. The business case appears as the first entry in a search for BBC in the project database.
	The business case and the initial proposal from BBC Media Action will be deposited in the Library of the House.

BBC: World Service Trust

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 19 December (WA 296) and the deposited paper DEP2012-0004 of 19 December 2011, whether they are satisfied with the arrangement that it is a matter for a member of the BBC Trust to decide themselves whether they are in violation of paragraph 7.1 of its code of practice on the appropriateness of their active involvement "in partisan political activities of a significant and continuing nature."

Baroness Rawlings: Yes. The BBC's governing instruments, the Royal Charter and Agreement, place broad obligations on the corporation in respect of its television and radio services, objectives, programme content and standards. Within this framework such decisions remain a matter for the BBC Trust, reflecting its independence from Government.

Benefits

Lord Newton of Braintree: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will estimate the average gross earnings equating to the proposed benefit cap plus child benefit for (1) a couple and (2) a lone parent, where the number of children is (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five, and (f) six.

Lord Freud: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of Children Net Benefit Paid, £ per year Gross Earnings Equivalent, £ per year 
			 0 26,000 35,000 
			 1 27,100 36,600 
			 2 27,800 37,600 
			 3 28,400 38,600 
			 4 29,100 39,600 
			 5 29,800 40,700 
			 6 30,500 41,700 
		
	
	The household benefit cap as applicable to both couples and lone parents is estimated to be £500 per week, or around £26,000 per year, from April 2013.
	Figures are based on benefit rates as modelled in the financial year 2013-14, when the household benefit cap is due to be implemented, starting from an assumed benefit income of £26,000 per annum in non-child related support for both singles and couples alike.
	The figures assume that child benefit is paid at £20.30 per week for the first child (£1,055.60 per year) and £13.40 per week for subsequent children (£696.80 per year).
	Gross earning equivalent figures are based on tax and national insurance contribution rates and thresholds, for an employee not contracted out of S2P, and as modelled in the financial year 2013-14.
	All figures are in 2013-14 prices and are rounded to the nearest £1,000 throughout.

British Embassies

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are staff designated to deal with issues specific to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in any of the United Kingdom's embassies and high commissions abroad.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As per the Memorandum of Understanding on devolved Administrations, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) represents the whole of the UK as foreign policy is not a devolved matter. No members of FCO staff are designated to work exclusively on issues related to the devolved Administrations. However, our network of embassies and high commissions also includes staff employed by the devolved Administrations.
	Scotland
	The Scottish Government have, under the auspices of the Scottish Affairs Office, four staff (two locally employed) at our embassy in Washington and a further two in the British Consulate in Toronto. In our embassy in Beijing there are two accredited staff. There are also 12 staff working under the umbrella of the United Kingdom's Permanent Representation to the European Union (UKRep) in Brussels.
	Wales
	There are nine staff (two locally engaged) working within UKRep Brussels. Wales also has a United States Representative Office for the First Minister, based at our Consulate-General in New York, which houses five staff. There is also a Wales Affairs Officer in New Delhi and a Welsh Trade and Investment Officer working at our embassy in Dubai, both funded by the Welsh Government.
	Northern Ireland
	There are six staff (three locally employed) working for the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington and New York. In Washington they are not located within our embassy but the officer in New York is based in the Consulate-General. The Northern Ireland Executive currently have five staff working under the umbrella of UKRep Brussels with a further four arriving shortly.

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any information about the alleged killing by the Burmese army of Saw Pah Kok, an ethnic Karen villager, in Burma on 29 October 2011.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware of media reports regarding the alleged killing of Saw Pah Kok by the Burmese army. However, we have not been able to verify these reports. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) emphasised the importance of an end to conflict, humanitarian access, political dialogue and national reconciliation during his visit in January of this year. We continue to raise our human rights concerns directly with the Government.

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Burma regarding human rights abuses, discrimination and racism against the Rohingya people.

Lord Howell of Guildford: During his visit to Burma in January of this year, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised the discrimination suffered by the Rohingya community, who have been denied citizenship and access to basic services and rights, directly with the Burmese Foreign Minister. The Foreign Secretary also met a range of representatives from ethnic communities, including the Kachin, Rohingya, Shan, Rakhine, Chin, Mon, Karen and Karenni to hear more about their concerns and aspirations. We will continue to stay close to these and other ethnic groups to ensure we remain seized of the issues they face.
	On 2 February, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials hosted a meeting which included representatives from Burmese ethnic groups, notably members of the Rohingya community, where the issues facing their people were discussed. We remain committed to ensuring that these issues are raised directly with the Burmese Government, at the United Nations and with international partners.

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received about the alleged use of rape and gang-rape by the Burmese army against ethnic minority women in Shan State and Kachin State in Burma.

Lord Howell of Guildford: In March 2011, we received reports that the Burmese army had moved into areas of Shan state held by ethnic armed forces. We received reports that seven villages were razed to the ground, and civilians indiscriminately targeted. An estimated 30,000 people fled their homes. In June, conflict broke out in Kachin State, bringing a 17-year ceasefire to an end. Human rights abuses targeting civilians were reported, including torture, rape and unverified reports of murder.
	We remain deeply concerned by these reports. At a United Nations Security Council debate on protection of civilians in November, the UK called for the Burmese army and ethnic militia to make every effort to protect civilians and bring to account those responsible for human rights abuses against them, and stressed that peace and stability could only be achieved through a genuine process of national reconciliation, starting with inclusive dialogue with all ethnic and political opposition groups. We also ensured that the Burma resolutions passed by the Human Rights Council in March and the General Assembly in November reflected our concerns. We continue to strongly urge the Government to end impunity and bring to account those responsible for human rights abuses.

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Burma regarding humanitarian access to conflict areas in Kachin State.

Baroness Northover: During his visit to Burma on 15-17 November 2011, Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, pressed President Thein Sein and his Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts in Burma and to increase humanitarian access in border areas, including in Kachin State. During his visit to Burma on 5-6 January 2012, the Foreign Secretary also raised these issues. These are all things which the Burmese Government have themselves said they wanted to achieve. The British ambassador continues to raise the issue directly with Burmese Ministers.

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have raised the imprisonment of Karen National Union leader, Mahn Nyein Maung, with the Government of Burma.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have not specifically raised the case of Mahn Nyein Maung with the Government of Burma. However, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised ethnic issues directly with members of the Burmese Government, including the Burmese President, during his visit in January of this year. The Foreign Secretary set out very clearly that the release of all political prisoners was one of the central conditions which we would expect the Burmese Government to fulfil before a more fundamental shift in our relationship could take place. He emphasised the importance of an end to conflict, humanitarian access, political dialogue and national reconciliation. He also heard first-hand the concerns and aspirations of different ethnic minorities, including the Shan, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Chin, Mon, Rakhine and Rohingya communities.
	I should also note that the Karen National Union's "Eleven-point proposal" for an initial ceasefire agreement, which was accepted by the Government of Burma in January, included a reference to the release of all political prisoners.

Cabinet Office: Payments

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what payments were made from the Cabinet Office to (1) Clifford Chance, (2) Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, (3) Slaughter and May, (4) Allen & Overy, and (5) Linklaters in financial years (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11, and (d) 2011-12 to date; and to what those payments related.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Cabinet Office made no payments to Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Allen and Overy or Linklaters in financial years 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 or 2011-12 to date. The Cabinet Office made payments of £50,229 to Slaughter and May in financial year 2011-12. No payments were made to Slaughter and May in financial years 2008-09, 2009-10 or 2010-11.
	The payments to Slaughter and May were in respect of specialist property support for the consolidation of the London and Bristol regions. These payments were made by the Government Property Unit (GPU). GPU became part of the Cabinet Office on 18 July 2011 following a machinery of government change, and these payments reflect payments made throughout 2011-12 to date. This Government are committed to transparency, and all new contracts over the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder (http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk/). All payments over £25,000 are also published on a monthly basis on data.gov.uk.

Caste Discrimination

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in considering the case for exercising the power conferred by Section 9(5)(a) of the Equality Act 2010 to make caste discrimination unlawful, they will have regard to the views and experience of those who may be discriminated against among the Hindu and Sikh communities in this country.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: On this matter the Government have been taking into account views from a large number of individuals and organisations, including those from sectors of the Hindu and Sikh communities that may have experienced caste-based prejudice or discrimination. In particular, the Government have been giving detailed consideration to the report compiled by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) into alleged caste discrimination within the UK. In compiling that report NIESR researchers met extensively with those who felt that they have suffered caste-based discrimination or harassment.
	The Government are also aware of previous reports on this issue, in particular the Hidden Apartheid: Caste and Caste Discriminationin the UK report published in November 2009 by the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA). The Government are also taking into account representations that they have received on this matter. For instance, over 50 comments were received on the need for caste legislation as part of last year's Red Tape Challenge Spotlight on Equalities.
	The Minister for Women and Equalities, Lynne Featherstone, and officials from the Government Equalities Office also attended an independent meeting on 17 January 2011, organised by ACDA among others, at which the issue of caste legislation was extensively discussed. At that meeting a number of participants spoke to support the bringing into force of Section 9(5)(a) of the Equality Act 2010.

Census

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the preliminary results of the 2011 census are expected to be available.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Roberts, dated February 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking when the preliminary results of the 2011 Census will be available (HL15794). May I refer you to the answer given to the right honourable John Spellar MP on 17 January 2012, Hansard reference 89952 column 754W which for ease of reference is copied below.
	The main field operation for the 2011 Census in England and Wales was completed at the end of May, and the significant task of processing and quality assuring the data is underway.
	A prospectus of the outputs to be produced from the Census will be published in March, our intention is to release the first results from the 2011 Census in England and Wales in July 2012. The results for Scotland and Northern Ireland will be published separately by National Records Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency respectively.
	The results will be published with information about the quality and the quality assurance process that ONS carried out prior to publication.

Charles Dickens

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to the Charles Dickens Museum in Doughty Street in promoting Dickens's work in the bicentenary year of his birth.

Baroness Rawlings: Her Majesty's Government have not provided the Charles Dickens Museum in Doughty Street with any support in promoting Dickens's work. A number of institutions funded by the Government, including the National Portrait Gallery, the British Council, the British Library and English Heritage are putting on special programmes and events to celebrate the life and works of Dickens. The Charles Dickens Museum has highlighted these events and many others as part of the Dickens 2012 campaign.
	The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which makes funding decisions independently of the Government, has awarded the Charles Dickens Museum over £2.3 million towards its redevelopment. HLF has also recently announced support for two Dickens related projects in Southwark, one in Teesdale, as well as supporting the Dickens Community Archive in Portsmouth. To date HLF has awarded more than £2.7 million in grants for the Dickens bicentenary.

Children: Parenting

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what remedies exist for a parent denied access to information about a child for whom they have parental responsibility by (1) a private day nursery, (2) a state school, (3) an NHS general practitioner, and (4) a local authority.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Individuals have rights under the Data Protection Act (DPA) to request access to information which relates to them. This right can be exercised by a parent on behalf of a child where the child is unable to make the request in person. This may be because the child does not have sufficient maturity or has a disability.
	This right that parents can exercise on behalf of their child exists in relation to information held by a wide range of organisations including private nursery schools, state schools, general practitioners' practices and local authorities.
	If a parent feels that they have not been supplied with information to which they have a right under the DPA and have tried to resolve the issue with the organisation then they can approach the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) with their complaint. If it finds that the organisation is in breach of the DPA, the ICO is able to advise organisations and, ultimately, to enforce compliance with the Act.
	Additional rights and remedies exist in separate legislation in relation to nurseries, schools and GPs.
	The Early Years Foundation stage (EYFS) requires all early years providers, including schools with children under five, to supply parents with specified information which includes details about the early years provision and free access to developmental records about their child (for example, the EYFS Profile). Should a provider fail to supply specified information, parents may complain to Ofsted.
	Maintained schools should wherever possible, ensure that they record the contact details of parents, even when a parent no longer lives with the child. This is not a matter left to the discretion of individual schools. Under relevant education legislation, parents, (including those with parental responsibility or who have care of the child) must receive specified statutory information about their child.
	If a parent believes that a maintained school is not complying with its obligations under education legislation and they have exhausted the school's arrangements for considering complaints, they may ask the Secretary of State to consider their complaint. The Secretary of State is able to make a direction if a governing body of a school has failed to comply with an obligation under education legislation or has acted unreasonably in the exercise of, or performance of, any function under education legislation. The Secretary of State may make any direction which it is expedient for him to make in order to ensure that the obligation is complied with, or the function performed reasonably.
	If a GP has refused to provide a person with parental responsibility a copy of a child's medical record, and it has not been possible to achieve resolution through informal discussions, then a person may use the NHS complaints procedure and/or make a complaint to the Information Commissioner. Where a person is dissatisfied with the outcome of these processes, they can contact the Health Service Ombudsman for England. As a last resort, they can take a case to court.

China

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of China on the issue of arms sales to the Government of Sudan.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are concerned by reports that the Government of Sudan may have transferred Chinese-made equipment to Darfur in violation of the United Nations arms embargo. We have raised these concerns in the Sudan Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

China

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been any recent change in their position regarding bilateral co-operation with China; and, if so, what change has been made.

Lord Howell of Guildford: There has been no recent change in position regarding bilateral co-operation with China. The Government remain committed to an approach of constructive engagement with China.
	The UK and China have a comprehensive strategic partnership; we have a well-developed set of bilateral links, with our annual UK-China Summit at Prime Ministerial level, underpinned by a set of high level dialogues including: the Strategic Dialogue; Economic and Financial Dialogue, and the new "People to People" dialogue to be launched this April.

Civil Service: Retirement

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the average retirement age of senior, and other, civil servants over the past 10 years, broken down by government department.

Baroness Verma: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Baroness Greengross, dated February 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the average retirement age of senior, and other, civil servants over the past 10 years, broken down by Government Department (HL15736).
	Civil Service Statistics are published annually by the Office for National Statistics on the National Statistics website. Statistics relating to retirements from the Civil Service are available, with complete coverage of the Civil Service, from 2007 through to 2011 inclusive.
	An Excel spreadsheet has been provided, a copy of which has been placed in the Libraries of the house, containing available information about the average retirement age of senior, and other, civil servants each year back to 2007, broken down by government department.
	
		
			 Civil Service employment; average retirement age of civil servants by department (2007) 1 2 3 
			Age in years 
			  Responsibility level   
			  Senior Civil Service All Other Levels Not Reported 
			 30 September 2007
			 Attorney General's Departments
			 Crown Prosecution Service n/a 60 60 
			 Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate n/a n/a n/a 
			 Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers .. .. n/a 
			 Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office n/a n/a n/a 
			 Serious Fraud Office .. .. n/a 
			 Treasury Solicitor .. .. n/a 
			 Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
			 Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform(excl agencies) .. 60 n/a 
			 Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service .. 58 n/a 
			 Companies House n/a 42 n/a 
			 Insolvency Service n/a 60 n/a 
			 Office of Fair Trading n/a 57 n/a 
			 Office of Gas and Electricity Market .. .. n/a 
			 Postal Services Commission n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cabinet Office
			 Cabinet Office (excl. agencies) 60 60 n/a 
			 Other Cabinet Office agencies
			 Central Office of Information n/a .. n/a 
			 National School of Government .. 61 n/a 
			 Parliamentary Counsel Office n/a n/a n/a 
			 HM Treasury
			 HM Treasury .. 58 n/a 
			 HM Revenue and Customs
			 HM Revenue and Customs 58 60 n/a 
			 Valuation Office .. 59 n/a 
			 Chancellor's other departments
			 Debt Management Office n/a .. n/a 
			 Government Actuary's Department n/a .. n/a 
			 National Savings and Investments n/a .. n/a 
			 Office of Government Commerce n/a n/a n/a 
			 OGCbuying.solutions n/a 60 n/a 
			 Office for National Statistics .. 56 n/a 
			 Royal Mint n/a 60 n/a 
			 Charity Commission
			 Charity Commission .. 61 n/a 
			 Children, Schools and Families
			 Department for Children, Schools and Families 56 51 n/a 
			 Innovation, Universities and Skills
			 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills .. 49 n/a 
			 National Weights and Measures Laboratory .. .. n/a 
			 UK Intellectual Property Office .. 60 .. 
			 Office for Standards in Education
			 Office for Standards in Education n/a 60 .. 
			 Communities and Local Government
			 Department for Communities and Local Government (excl. agencies) 59 60 n/a 
			 Fire Service College n/a 61 n/a 
			 Ordnance Survey .. 60 n/a 
			 Planning Inspectorate .. 60 n/a 
			 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre n/a .. n/a 
			 Culture, Media and Sport
			 Department for Culture Media and Sport .. 56 n/a 
			 Royal Parks n/a .. n/a 
			 Defence
			 Ministry of Defence 57 60 60 
			 Royal Fleet Auxiliary n/a n/a n/a 
			 Army Base Repair Organisation n/a 64 n/a 
			 Defence Aviation Repair Agency n/a 60 62 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory n/a 60 n/a 
			 Met Office n/a 60 n/a 
			 UK Hydrographic Office .. 60 n/a 
			 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
			 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (excl. agencies) .. 60 .. 
			 Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science n/a 60 n/a 
			 Central Science Laboratory n/a 60 n/a 
			 Government Decontamination Services n/a n/a n/a 
			 Marine and Fisheries Agency n/a 61 n/a 
			 Office of Water Services n/a .. n/a 
			 Pesticides Safety Directorate n/a .. n/a 
			 Rural Payments Agency n/a 60 n/a 
			 Animal Health n/a 60 n/a 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency .. 60 n/a 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate n/a .. n/a 
			 Export Credits Guarantee Department
			 Export Credit Guarantee Department .. 57 n/a 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (excl agencies) 57 60 n/a 
			 Wilton Park Executive Agency n/a n/a n/a 
			 Health
			 Department of Health (excl agencies) 54 54 n/a 
			 Food Standards Agency n/a 60 n/a 
			 Meat Hygiene Service .. 63 n/a 
			 Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency .. 60 n/a 
			 National Healthcare Purchasing and Supplies .. .. n/a 
			 NHS Business Services Authority (Civil Service only) n/a .. n/a 
			 Home Office
			 Home Office (excl agencies) .. .. n/a 
			 Assets Recovery Agency n/a n/a n/a 
			 Border and Immigration Agency .. .. n/a 
			 Criminal Records Bureau n/a .. n/a 
			 Identity and Passport Service n/a 61 n/a 
			 Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism n/a n/a n/a 
			 Justice
			 Ministry of Justice (excl. agencies) .. n/a 60 
			 HM Courts Service n/a .. 60 
			 Land Registry n/a 60 n/a 
			 National Archives n/a 60 n/a 
			 Public Guardianship Office n/a n/a .. 
			 Tribunals Service n/a n/a 61 
			 Scotland Office n/a n/a n/a 
			 Wales Office n/a n/a .. 
			 Public Sector Prison Service .. 60 n/a 
			 International Development
			 Department for International Development .. 56 n/a 
			 Northern Ireland Office
			 Northern Ireland Office .. 63 n/a 
			 Security and Intelligence Services
			 Security and Intelligence Services .. 60 n/a 
			 Transport
			 Department for Transport (excl agencies) .. 60 60 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency n/a 60 .. 
			 Driving Standards Agency n/a 58 n/a 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency n/a 65 .. 
			 Highways Agency n/a 60 n/a 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency .. 62 n/a 
			 Office of Rail Regulation n/a .. n/a 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency n/a .. n/a 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency n/a 60 n/a 
			 Work and Pensions
			 DWP Corporate Services 58 59 n/a 
			 DWP Shared Services .. 60 n/a 
			 Child Support Agency n/a 60 n/a 
			 Disability and Carers Service n/a 60 n/a 
			 Job Centre Plus .. 60 n/a 
			 Pension Service n/a 54 n/a 
			 The Health and Safety Executive .. 60 n/a 
			 The Rent Service n/a 63 n/a 
			 Scottish Government
			 Scottish Government (excl agencies) 60 60 n/a 
			 Communities Scotland n/a 59 n/a 
			 Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service .. 60 n/a 
			 Courts Group n/a .. n/a 
			 Fisheries Research Services n/a 60 n/a 
			 General Register Scotland n/a .. n/a 
			 HM Inspectorate of Education n/a 60 n/a 
			 Historic Scotland n/a n/a n/a 
			 Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland n/a n/a n/a 
			 National Archive for Scotland n/a .. n/a 
			 Office of Accountant in Bankruptcy n/a .. n/a 
			 Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator n/a n/a n/a 
			 Registers of Scotland n/a 59 n/a 
			 Scottish Agricultural Scientific Agency n/a .. n/a 
			 Scottish Buildings Standards Agency n/a .. n/a 
			 Scottish Court Service n/a 60 .. 
			 Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency n/a 60 n/a 
			 Scottish Prison Service n/a 58 n/a 
			 Scottish Public Pensions Agency n/a .. n/a 
			 Social Work Inspection Agency n/a .. n/a 
			 Student Awards Agency n/a .. n/a 
			 Transport Scotland .. .. n/a 
			 Welsh Assembly
			 Welsh Assembly Government 59 60 n/a 
			 ESTYN n/a .. n/a 
		
	
	Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES)
	1. Median used as measure for calculating average age.
	2. Includes civil servants who have "Retired" under the following Annual Civil Service Employment Survey leaving causes "Retirement on age grounds at the minimum age", "Retirement on age grounds above the minimum age", "Retirement on grounds of ill health", "Approved early retirement (AER)", "Actuarially reduced retirement", "Compulsory early retirement" and "Flexible early retirement".
	3. "n/a" used to represent where data is not applicable (there were no reported retirements for the grade/period in question), and counts less than five are represented by "..". Counts less than five have not been included so as not to identify an individual from the analysis that has been produced.

Civil Service: Strategy

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government when their review of the Strategy for the Civil Service 2008-13 began.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The formal review started following approval at the Civil Service Capability Board in October 2011.

Coastal Communities Fund

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sort of bids they are looking for to access funds from the Coastal Communities Fund.

Baroness Hanham: The Coastal Communities Fund will provide money for projects which support economic development in our coastal communities. These could include projects which improve skills within the community, projects related to protecting the coastal environment or economic development programmes delivered by charitable, benevolent or philanthropic institutions. More examples can be found in the prospectus my department launched on 9 February giving further details of the fund. The Big Lottery Fund will invite expressions of interest from potential grant applicants from 5 March.

Commercial Diplomacy Programme

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to determine which countries should be prioritised in their commercial diplomacy programme; whether they have a list of those that are deemed most attractive for British commercial interests; and, if so, what countries are on that list.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Commercial diplomacy is an important component of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) wider prosperity agenda, which brings together all the actions that the FCO takes internationally to support the UK economy.
	Our Charter for Business (http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/global-issues/prosperity/business-charter) states that our entire overseas network will do all it can to support British business success overseas, and will work globally to attract quality inward investment through: direct support for business; or action to improve the prospects for UK business across the world.
	Our embassies and high commissions are the essential infrastructure of our country's influence overseas, and of our economic recovery, so we are working to transform Britain's relationship in the fastest growing cities and regions-for example by significantly increasing our presence in India and China, the world's two emerging superpowers.
	Priority markets for UKTI are highlighted in their five-year strategy-Britain Open for Business (http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/148300.html)

Commercial Diplomacy Programme

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether each of the individual countries in Central Asia are considered as of priority interest in their commercial diplomacy programme; and, if so, in what regard.

Lord Howell of Guildford: There is no priority list for commercial diplomacy as the whole of the overseas network is expected to play its part fully, but we will work tirelessly to exploit the business opportunities that exist in the Central Asian region.
	Priority markets for UKTI are highlighted in their five-year strategy-Britain Open for Business (http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/148300.html)

Copyright

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) beneficial, and (2) adverse effects they foresee resulting from current proposals to change exception rules in copyright law.

Baroness Wilcox: The initial impact assessments published with the current consultation on copyright provided an initial assessment of potential costs and benefits of different policy options under consideration. The Government are now seeking more detailed evidence on the costs and benefits to all parties who could be affected by the proposals, through public consultation.

Copyright

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the impact that current proposals to change exception rules in copyright law would have on (1) clarity for teachers and others in the education sector as to whether a given item falls within the copyright exception rules, and (2) authors and other providers of educational materials who at present derive financial benefit from selective photocopying of their work.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government's proposals on copyright aim to deliver greater clarity for teachers by ensuring that all reasonable uses of copyright materials in the classroom are permitted, either under licence or an exception, without undermining incentives to authors. The Government, through their current consultation on copyright, are seeking further evidence of the potential impact of various implementation options on authors and other affected parties. The consultation document and accompanying initial impacts assessments are available in the Library of the House and are published on the Intellectual Property Office website.

Counterterrorism

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their document Working Together to Protect Crowded Places is still being developed as the basis for security of those places.

Lord Henley: In July 2011, Her Majesty's Government published the United Kingdom's counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) which sets out the objectives for protecting crowded places, that:
	the Government will ensure businesses owning crowded places and local authorities continue to have access to high quality protective security advice so they know what steps to take to reduce vulnerability to terrorist attack;the Government will also promote security at sites at higher risk; andthat existing guidance will be reviewed and updated.
	In January 2012, the Government published two revised crowded places guidance documents Protecting Crowded Places: Design and TechnicalIssues and Crowded Places: The planning system and counter terrorism, both with revisions to reflect the contribution that protective security can make to mitigating the impact of a firearms attack.
	The Government will continue to explore ways in which reducing the vulnerability of crowded places, especially higher risk sites, can be developed and promoted, including through the revision and updating of guidance documents whenever it is appropriate to do so.

Courts: Witness Care Units

Lord Goldsmith: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the comments by Lord McNally on 1 February (Official Report, cols. 1658-62), how many witness care units are operative in England and Wales; whether they provide a full coverage across the country; and when was the most recent review of the effectiveness and coverage of those units.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: There are 80 Witness Care Units (WCUs) currently operating in England and Wales. The WCUs are distributed geographically across the 13 CPS areas and provide full coverage across the country. A review of witness care was conducted in 2009 aimed at ensuring greater consistency and efficiency in the service delivered to victims and witnesses. In 2011, the CPS commissioned a project to review its victim and witness commitments with a view to taking a fresh look at the service it delivers to them. As part of this review, the CPS is working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to pilot a revised delivery model within WCUs, targeting resources to those victims and witnesses who are in most need of support.

Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, as a guarantor power, whether there has been any public acknowledgement of responsibility by the Republic of Cyprus for attacks against Turkish Cypriots prior to the 1974 Turkish intervention; and if not, whether they will now press for such an acknowledgement.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are aware of the allegations of violence between the two communities on the island since the 1960s, and continue to work towards building confidence between them, including through contributions to the Committee on Missing Persons. The Government are in constant dialogue with the Republic of Cyprus on how to try and encourage progress in the ongoing discussions to reach a comprehensive settlement.

Defence: Contracts

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have held any discussions with the Governments of the United States and France on awarding joint defence contracts.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence holds regular discussions with our US and French counterparts on current and potential bilateral co-operative projects and programmes. When co-operation is agreed it is usual practice for a contract to be awarded by one country on behalf of one or more partner nations or in some cases by an international project management organisation such as the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation. Joint defence contracts are not usually awarded.

Defence: Contracts

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many defence contracts they have awarded in partnership with NATO or other allied governments in each of the past five years.

Lord Astor of Hever: The information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Over the past five years, the UK has been a partner in between 50 and 60 co-operative equipment programmes at any one time, all of which have involved either NATO or other key allies. In some cases, contracts have been placed by the UK, but in others they have been placed by our partners, or by international organisations such as NETMA(1), NAMSA(2) or OCCAR(31).
	Notes:
	(1) NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency
	(2) NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency
	(3) The Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation

Defence: Contracts

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of British jobs that would be lost if their defence contracts no longer required suppliers to undertake production in the United Kingdom.

Lord Astor of Hever: Defence contracts generally do not require suppliers to undertake production in the UK. The Ministry of Defence has placed contracts with specific suppliers in the past, and will continue to do so, where we judge this is essential to protect the UK's operational advantage or freedom of action.
	In 2009-10, the Ministry of Defence spent over £20 billion with UK industry, just over half of which was in the UK manufacturing sector.

Defence: Contracts

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contracts have been awarded to British-based defence equipment manufacturing companies in each of the past five years; what was the value of each of those contracts; and how many British jobs were secured by the awarding of those contracts.

Lord Astor of Hever: The number of contracts placed with defence equipment manufacturing companies is not captured separately. As at 24 January 2012, the Defence Business Services database showed that, in the five-year period between 2006-07 and 2010-11, the Ministry of Defence awarded nearly 40,000 new contracts with an approximate total value of £67.7 billion. Employment implications are a matter for the companies concerned. However, during this period, the number of new contracts placed where the majority of work occurred within the UK remained consistent at around 85 to 89 per cent.

Defence: Contracts

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the policy of sovereign capabilities in relation to British defence was first introduced.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the circumstances that led to the Government deciding that the policy of sovereign capabilities was necessary for the United Kingdom's security and defence.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the policy of sovereign capabilities in relation to defence contracts has been reviewed since it was first introduced.

Lord Astor of Hever: Maintaining operational advantage and freedom of action is vital to our national security. The precise circumstances in which action might be needed will vary depending on the nature of the threats we face. These concepts are applicable throughout the acquisition cycle and the operational life of a capability.
	In 2005, the previous Government published the Defence Industrial Strategy (Cm 6697), which included appropriate sovereignty as one of its guiding principles and made a number of references to sovereign capabilities. In 2009 the Armoured Fighting Vehicle Sector Strategy included an explanation of the concept of operational sovereignty. The most recent consideration of sovereignty requirements for defence equipment and support took place as part of the development of the White Paper National Security Through Technology (Cm 8278).

Defence: Contracts

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposal to remove most requirements for sovereign capability in relation to defence contracts was first made by (1) the Ministry of Defence, or (2) HM Treasury.

Lord Astor of Hever: In July 2010 the Government announced their intention to publish a new defence industrial policy and strategy. The Strategic Defence and Security Review reaffirmed this commitment, which led to a Green Paper Technology, Equipment and Support for UK Defence and Security (Cm 7794) in December 2010 and a subsequent White Paper National Security Through Technology: Technology, Equipment and Support (CM 8278) in February 2012.

Defence: Industrial Strategy

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister for Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, that the 2005 Defence Industrial Strategy was "an unfunded and unrealistic wish list", when they came to that conclusion.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the policy of sovereign capabilities in relation to defence contracts figured in discussions between HM Treasury and the Ministry of Defence prior to the publication of the last Strategic Defence Review.

Lord Astor of Hever: In July 2010 the Government announced their intention to publish a new defence industrial policy and strategy. The Strategic Defence and Security Review reaffirmed this commitment, which led to a Green Paper Technology, Equipment and Support for UK Defence and Security (Cm 7794) in December 2010 and a subsequent White Paper National Security Through Technology: Technology, Equipment and Support (Cm 8278) in February 2012.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what, if any, percentage of the overall funding of the recent presidential and legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo they contributed.

Baroness Northover: So far, the Department for International Development has provided £26.8 million bilaterally to the 2007-13 electoral cycle (which includes presidential, legislative, provincial and local elections) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Foundation for Elections Service (IFES). The bulk of this funding was to the UNDP elections basket fund, where the UK bilateral share is almost 30 per cent of the total US$167 million fund. As a total of the overall cost of the electoral cycle, the UK bilateral contribution represents around 3.1 per cent.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what budgetary support they give to the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what percentage of that support is estimated to have been spent on the election costs of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Baroness Northover: The UK does not provide budgetary support to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Instead, all UK development assistance in DRC is channelled outside government systems, through non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies and other multilateral organisations. The Department for International Development has provided £26.8 million to the 2007-13 electoral cycle through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Foundation for Elections Service (IFES).

Democratic Republic of Congo

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the intended purpose of their bilateral contribution toward the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo; what assessment they have made of the accuracy of the electoral roll; and whether they agree with the assessment of European Union observers that problems with electoral registration meant that 17 per cent of voters were able to vote despite not being on the list.

Baroness Northover: The UK's bilateral support for elections covers the whole 2008-13 electoral cycle, including presidential and parliamentary elections, provincial elections and local elections. Our support is aimed primarily at ensuring that everyone has the right to vote, and encouraging as much participation as possible. It is focused on voter registration; building the capacity of the new electoral commission; improving public understanding of the electoral process, particularly among women and first-time voters; and helping the Congolese police to keep the peace before, during and after elections. In addition, our media project promoted more open debate in advance of the presidential and parliamentary elections through support for independent Congolese media, and we have provided funding to build the capacity of civil society organisations and to strengthen protection for human rights defenders.
	We are not in a position to make an independent assessment of the accuracy of the electoral roll. We were deeply concerned with allegations that double entries in the voter register outnumbered the official tally. The UK pushed the DRC's electoral commission to ensure all parties had scrutiny of the electoral roll and to publish full voter lists on its website and in registration centres to enable all double entries, whether added through human error or otherwise, to be scrutinised locally and amended. We were disappointed when CENI and political parties were unable to agree a modality that would have enabled a cross-party audit of the electoral roll server to go forward. We are awaiting the final report of the EU observation mission which will give further details of their assessment of the elections.
	We do share the concerns raised by the mission about reported irregularities in the process, and are aware of the electoral commission's decision to allow "omitted voters" to vote in their voting site if their name was not on the voter's list.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that their contribution to the 28 November 2011 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo represented value for money.

Baroness Northover: We estimate that the unit cost for the presidential and legislative elections, including voter registration, was US$11.2 per voter, which compares favourably with elections in other post-conflict countries.
	However, we are disappointed that mismanagement of the results compilation process, and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the results without fully evaluating reports of irregularities, compromised the credibility of the 28 November elections. This was not the result the UK was hoping for, and did not measure up to the democratic gains we have seen in other recent African elections. However, unlike 2006 where the international community funded 90 per cent of the cost of the elections, in 2011 the process was led, managed and largely financed by the Congolese, who bore about 80 per cent of the cost of the latest elections.
	The UK's support to elections is part of a long-term strategy to help sustain the 2003 peace settlement (enshrined in the 2005 constitution) and includes support to democratic institutions, to the creation of legitimate political space for interaction between state and society, and to a more equitable sharing of resources. The risks are high, and our ability to influence the outcome limited, but as in other fragile and conflict-affected states, we consider these goals to be an important foundation to enable progress towards the millennium development goals.

Developing Countries: Education

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed replacement programme for the Department for International Development Global School Partnerships programme will include Lesotho.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to announce the replacement programme for the current Global School Partnerships programme; and from what date the new programme will run.

Baroness Northover: The Global School Partnerships Programme (GSP) will award final grants to schools in March 2012, but will continue to provide support and advice to schools that have been awarded grants until March 2013. The Department for International Development (DfID) is committed to continuing support for school linking beyond the closure of GSP and is currently looking at how this can be done to ensure a high quality service to schools that also represents value for money for the UK taxpayer. DfID will be making further announcements about the continuation of school linking and the countries that will be supported shortly.

Disabled People: Abuse

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take to prevent abuse directed at disabled people in receipt of benefits.

Lord Freud: We are working with the police and other partners to encourage more victims to come forward and report hate crime. We seconded a member of the Office for Disability Issues staff to Disability Rights UK to help take forward, the Let's Stop Hate Crime Project. We are considering the recommendations made by the Equality and Human Rights Commission inquiry into disability related harassment and continue to work with them on their Manifesto for Change. We have amended the legal aid and sentencing Bill to raise the minimum sentence length for murders motivated by hatred of disabled people to 30 years.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that all disabled people are able to live their lives free from fear of targeted hostility or harassment, regardless of whether they are in receipt of benefit or not. We are determined to tackle negative attitudes and to improve opportunities for disabled people to fulfil their potential.
	We are working in partnership with disabled people to develop a new cross-government disability strategy. We published a discussion document Fulfilling Potential on 1 December 2011, which seeks practical suggestions in three main areas: realising aspirations, individual control and changing attitudes and behaviours. The latter area is particularly important as promoting positive attitudes and behaviours towards disabled people is fundamental to achieving the full participation of disabled people in society. We aim to publish the final strategy in the spring.
	We are also developing a new Hate Crime Action Plan that will aim to capture the current and emerging issues across all forms of hate crime, including disability hate crime, and set out actions focused on prevention, support and improving the response to hate crime.
	The Government are also taking a range of other actions to encourage positive images of disabled people. For example, we are maximising the opportunities given by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Disabled People: Holiday Schemes

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from Sir Bert Massie and others about the requirement to register the Heswall Disabled Children's Holiday Fund as a children's home; what estimate has been made of the costs this will involve; what is the purpose of the requirement; and whether they intend to give assistance to ensure that the holiday project does not founder as a consequence.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Representations have been received from several Members of Parliament on behalf of the Heswall Disabled Children's Holiday Fund, of which Sir Bert Massie is the patron. Registration and annual fees for holiday schemes that accommodate children who are wholly or mainly disabled are currently set within the framework of regulation for children's homes. This framework helps to protect vulnerable children and ensure that providers meet relevant standards as set out in the national minimum standards for children's homes. It is important however to strike the right balance between the safeguards necessary to protect vulnerable children and the burdens on providers. The department is currently reviewing the regulatory framework as it relates to specialist providers such as the Heswall Fund.

Divorce (Religious Marriages) Act 2002

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consult representatives of the British Islamic religious communities about whether an order should be made by the Lord Chancellor under Section 1 of the Divorce (Religious Marriages) Act 2002.

Lord McNally: It is for a religious community itself to decide to make use of the provisions of the Act and then ask the Lord Chancellor to prescribe the religious group for that purpose.

Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Bill

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of provisions in the United States Dodd-Frank law on conflict minerals; and whether they intend to adopt such legislation in the United Kingdom.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are watching closely how the United States Government implement the Dodd-Frank law on conflict minerals, and are awaiting the United States Securities Exchange Commission's publication of the rules by which regulated companies will have to abide under this legislation. However, we have no current plans to adopt similar legislation in the UK: we believe that a combination of voluntary approaches, by businesses, and existing legal and regulatory measures will provide sufficient incentives to achieve greater transparency in the trade in conflict minerals.

Duchy of Cornwall

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances the Duchy of Cornwall is considered a public body or a private estate; and if both are held to apply, on what basis is each considered to apply and who makes that decision.

Lord McNally: The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate, the funds from which are used to support the public, charitable and private activities of the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The Duchy is reviewing the First-tier Tribunal's reasons for its decision under the Environmental Information Regulations, with a view to establishing whether it would be appropriate to appeal the ruling. Until then, it would be premature for HM Government to attempt to examine the potential consequences of the ruling.

Economy

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Local Data Company on high street recovery rates.

Baroness Hanham: The Local Data Company report End of Year Vacancy Report 2011 is an independent survey of vacancy rates in the United Kingdom and some European cities. We have not made an assessment of the report, but we will make use of all relevant data when developing our response to the Mary Portas review into the future of our high streets and our work on regeneration and economic growth.

Economy

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reviewed the extent to which the Bank of England's recent monetary policy has transferred economic wealth from savers to borrowers, or vice versa.

Lord Sassoon: The independent Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) policy tools, including Bank Rate and Quantitative Easing, are macroeconomic policy tools designed to affect the economy as a whole, in order to meet the 2 per cent inflation target over the medium term. At its February meeting, the Committee judged that, without further monetary stimulus, it was more likely than not that inflation would undershoot the target in the medium term. The Committee therefore voted to increase the size of its asset purchase programme by £50 billion to £325 billion.
	The MPC takes into account many factors in its policy decisions, including the prospects for households, assessments of which can be found in the Bank of England's quarterly Inflation Reports, in its press conferences and in the MPC's monthly meeting minutes.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider reinstating the education maintenance allowance in the light of the concerns raised by the Barnardo's report Staying the Course.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Barnardo's report reinforces the importance of the most vulnerable young people being able to participate in further education and training. Our new post-16 financial support arrangements have ensured that those who need the most support can claim £1,200 a year-more than they would have received under the education maintenance allowance (EMA). We have also provided sufficient funding for schools and colleges to give discretionary bursaries of £800 a year to over 15 per cent of the 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time education.
	Under the EMA, 45 per cent of all 16 to 19 year- olds received it, yet only one in 10 of those receiving it said that it was necessary for their continued participation. We are now taking a much more targeted approach. As well as providing £1,200 to the most vulnerable young people, we have ensured that schools and colleges are better able to respond to local circumstances and individual barriers to participation when deciding how they will support the young people who face the greatest challenges.

Education: 16-19 Bursary Fund

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the recommendations of the Barnardo's report Staying the Course on widening access to the 16-19 Bursary Fund for disadvantaged young people.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Secretary of State has written to Barnardo's chief executive to thank her for this very valuable report, which reinforces the importance of the most vulnerable young people being able to participate in further education and training. He has invited her to meet senior officials from the department to discuss the report's findings and recommendations in detail.

Egypt

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Egypt about allowing the legitimate supply of fuel to Gaza.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We hold Israel, as the occupying power, responsible for ensuring Gaza's basic needs are met, and this includes the provision of fuel. Israel continues to provide 120 megawatts (MW) of electricity per day directly to Gaza, which meets approximately 43 per cent of Gaza's power needs and is paid for by the Palestinian Authority. Egypt provides a further 17MW and the balance of Gaza's power needs (approximately 140MW) should be met by the Gaza power plant. The Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) is now buying diesel fuel, which is sourced via tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, to operate two turbines in the power station to produce 60MW, and has not requested any industrial fuel from Israel since 5 January 2011. The majority of the population still experiences power cuts, but these are now shorter in duration and less frequent than in late 2010.

Egypt

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of the United States about directing the use of their military aid to Egypt towards economic development and sustainable employment.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has not made representations to the Government of the United States (US) about use of US military aid to Egypt for economic development purposes. We are in close contact with the US and other international partners about the provision of economic and development assistance to Egypt.

Egypt

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Egypt seeking access by the International Committee of the Red Cross to all prisoners and detainees, including refugees and migrants.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have not made representations to the Government of Egypt on behalf of the International Committee of the Red Cross (1CRC) to facilitate their access to detainees in Egypt, and we have not been approached by the 1CRC to do so. However, during and since the January/February uprising of 2011, we have expressed our strong concerns to the authorities about the mistreatment of peaceful protesters, journalists and human rights defenders and called on the Egyptian Government to release all political prisoners and end the State of Emergency.

Elected Mayors

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what dates referendums have been held on establishing or removing directly elected mayors in local government; what were the local authorities concerned; what were the total votes cast and percentages for and against; and what was the turnout in each case.

Baroness Hanham: The table below shows the dates on which referendums were held to establish or remove directly elected mayors in local government, the local authorities concerned, the total votes cast, the percentages for and against and the turnout.
	
		
			 Date Council Result 
			   Total votes Yes No Turnout 
			 7 June 2001 Berwick-upon Tweed 13,929 26% 74% 64% 
			 28 June 2001 Cheltenham 24,685 33% 67% 31% 
			 28 June 2001 Gloucester 24.048 32% 68% 31% 
			 12 July 2001 Watford 14,776 52% 48% 25% 
			 20 September 2001 Doncaster 54,851 65% 35% 25% 
			 4 October 2001 Kirklees 38,146 27% 73% 13% 
			 11 October 2001 Sunderland 21,584 43% 57% 10% 
			 18 October 2001 Brighton & Hove 59,938 38% 62% 32% 
			 18 October 2001 Hartlepool 20,961 51% 49% 31% 
			 18 October 2001 Lewisham 32,736 51% 49% 18% 
			 18 October 2001 Middlesbrough 34,489 84% 16% 34% 
			 18 October 2001 North Tyneside 52,558 58% 42% 36% 
			 18 October 2001 Sedgefield 22,497 47% 53% 33% 
			 8 November 2001 Redditch 16,448 44% 56% 28% 
			 20 November 2001 Durham (City) 20,301 41% 59% 29% 
			 6 December 2001 Harrow 41,056 43% 58% 26% 
			 24 Jan 2002 Plymouth 72,370 41% 59% 40% 
			 24 Jan 2002 Harlow 20,786 25% 75% 35% 
			 31 Jan 2002 Newham 39,850 68% 32% 26% 
			 31 Jan 2002 Southwark 19,271 31% 69% 11% 
			 31 Jan 2002 West Devon 15,745 23% 77% 42% 
			 31 Jan 2002 Shepway 25,795 44% 56% 36% 
			 21 Feb 2002 Bedford 16,853 67% 33% 16% 
			 2 May 2002 Hackney 35,244 59% 41% 32% 
			 2 May 2002 Mansfield 16,323 55% 45% 21% 
			 2 May 2002 Newcastle-under-Lyme 29,380 44% 56% 31.5% 
			 2 May 2002 Oxford 33,378 44% 56% 34% 
			 2 May 2002 Stoke-on-Trent 49,179 58% 42% 28% 
			 16 September 2002 Corby 11,590 46% 53% 31% 
			 12 December 2002 Ealing 21,109 45% 55% 10% 
			 5 May 2005 Isle of Wight 65,883 44% 56% 60% 
			 14 July 2005 Fenland 22,805 24% 76% 34% 
			 14 July 2005 Torbay 32,756 55% 45% 32% 
			 4 May 2006 Crewe and Nantwich 30,576 38.2% 60.8% 35.3% 
			 27 September 2007 Darlington 19,207 41.6% 58.4% 24.65% 
			 3 July 2008 Bury 25,813 40.1% 59.9% 18.3% 
			 23 October 2008 Stoke-on-Trent 35,830 41% 59% 19% 
			 6 May 2010 Tower Hamlets 100,615 60% 40% 62% 
			 5 May 2011 Great Yarmouth 25,646 39% 61% 36% 
			 26 January 2012 Salford 30,997 56% 44% 18.1% 
		
	
	Unless otherwise stated, all the referendums listed above were held to establish a directly elected mayor.
	The 2008 referendum held in Stoke-on-Trent was on whether to move to the leader and cabinet executive or operate the mayor and cabinet executive required by Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which abolished the mayor and council manager model that Stoke had operated.
	In addition a referendum was held on 7 May 1998 on the London Mayor, the result was 72 per cent in favour with 28 per cent against with a turnout of 34 per cent.

Elections: Overseas

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was their expenditure for each of the past 10 years in contributing to overseas electoral processes; to which elections those contributions applied; which of those elections were deemed free and fair; and whether they consider that their contributions have led to improvements in the conduct of elections in those countries.

Baroness Northover: The Department for International Development has supported at least 49 elections in 27 countries since 2002. These include important elections to consolidate peace in Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal and the referendum on independence for South Sudan. Our overall judgment is that improvements have been seen in the conduct of elections in these countries, often in challenging circumstances. Between 2004-05 and 2008-09, expenditure on projects to strengthen political systems, including support to elections and parliaments was £215 million. We have recently contributed £1.6 million to support the presidential elections set for 21 February 2012 in Yemen.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 8 February (WA 65-6), when the stem cell lines that correspond to those used in the clinical trial at Moorfields Eye Hospital were previously deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank; whether the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has been made aware of recent scientific findings in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (Volume 122, Issue 2, pages 569-574), and if so, when; and whether the NPSA intends to instruct those conducting such clinical trials to bring these findings to the attention of patients who have already been treated and prospective individuals considering being recruited, and if so, how.

Earl Howe: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) was not previously aware of the recent article.
	The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) advises that the main point of the paper referred to in the question is that expanding the number of cells through repeated growth cycles, or passaging greater than 34 times from the original stem cells, can lead to spontaneous loss of evolution and introduce defects. The dossier supporting the trial approved using embryonic stem cells at Moorfields Hospital indicates that this level of "over passaging" is not reached and there are sufficient control steps and sampling procedures in place to ensure the integrity of the final product.
	The MHRA does not consider that these new data impact on the original decision to approve the trial or on the information needing to be provided to trial participants.
	The Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC) provides ethical review of clinical trials involving medicinal products for gene therapy, including stem cell trials. GTAC is an independent ethics committee with appointments made by Secretary of State. The National Research Ethics Service (NRES) at the Health Research Authority provides Secretariat support to GTAC. NRES will bring the article to the attention of GTAC.
	NRES was formerly a directorate of the NPSA.

Employment: Agency Workers

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 12 December (WA 210), whether they will ask HM ambassadors to European Union countries to compile a list of how each member state has transposed the EU directive on equal treatment for temporary agency workers and publish the subsequent list; and whether their understanding is still that the majority will have done so on the basis of day 1 equal treatment rights.

Baroness Wilcox: I refer my noble friend to the answer I gave on 12 Dec 2011 (WA210). While implementation of European directives is a matter for individual member states, the Government intend to use the FCO network to gain an understanding of how the directive has been implemented in EU member states.

Energy: Co-generation

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the electrical power in the United Kingdom is produced as part of combined heat and power systems; and whether they are considering introducing long-term measures to encourage industry to increase this proportion, in the light of experience of combined heat and power systems in reducing carbon emissions in local communities.

Lord Marland: Around 7 per cent of the electricity generated in the United Kingdom is through combined heat and power systems.
	The Government will set out their long-term vision for CHP in the heat strategy to be published shortly. As announced in Budget 2011, further details about the treatment of CHP under the carbon price floor will be set out in Budget 2012.

Energy: Energy Company Obligation

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether social housing tenants will have access to the "affordable warmth" element of the Energy Company Obligation.

Lord Marland: The eligibility criteria for ECO affordable warmth were recently consulted on and the Government's response will be published in due course. The proposed eligibility criteria for ECO affordable warmth were designed to target support to those most in need, by focusing on low income and vulnerable private tenure households, where energy efficiency standards are low compared to social housing and where alternative means of support will not exist when Warm Front draws to a close in March 2013.

Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact on local authorities of reforms to feed-in tariffs.

Lord Marland: No specific assessment has been made of the financial impact on local authorities of reforms to the feed-in tariffs scheme. However, impacts on potential FITs claimants in general have been taken into account at every stage of FITs policy development.

Energy: Fracking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will postpone the granting of permission for hydraulic fracturing for gas and oil production, until full scientific evidence of its consequences and side-effects is available from other countries.

Lord Marland: Hydraulic fracturing operations for shale gas, in the UK are currently suspended pending consideration of the implications of the two small earthquakes in the Blackpool area last year. A geomechanical study has been undertaken for Cuadrilla, the operator in that area, and was submitted to DECC in November 2011. It is being reviewed by DECC, in consultation with the British Geological Survey and other independent experts.
	No decision on the resumption of these hydraulic fracturing operations will be made until the implications of this report, and of any further analysis which may prove necessary, has been fully considered, and appropriate practical measures have been approved by Ministers to minimise the risk of such events occurring again. Other key regulators will be consulted before any such decision is taken.
	We already have in place a robust regulatory regime to ensure that oil and gas operations will be safely conducted and that protection of the environment will be assured. However, we are not taking it for granted that the regime already in place will remain effective for the future. We are monitoring developments in shale gas elsewhere, principally in the US, for any useful lessons we can learn, and the regulatory bodies principally concerned are liaising regularly to ensure effective coordination of their actions and that any emerging issues are effectively addressed. In these circumstances, we see no need for any general deferral of or moratorium on hydraulic fracturing activities other than for shale gas.

Energy: Green Deal

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Green Deal assessors will be prohibited from selling products other than those included in the Green Deal Plan.

Lord Marland: Green Deal assessors' core role will be to provide an impartial assessment of the property, the potential energy savings from measures and likely eligibility for Green Deal finance. The recent Green Deal consultation sought views on whether further protections were needed to retain impartiality and transparency in the process and we are currently analysing responses on this issue.

Energy: Green Deal

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the purpose of the occupancy assessment for the Green Deal.

Lord Marland: The occupancy assessment will provide householders with information about their actual use of energy and the impact on likely savings from the installation of measures. This will enable them to make an informed choice about whether the Green Deal and Green Deal finance is right for their circumstances.

Energy: Green Deal

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria will be used for the occupancy assessment for the Green Deal; when it will be published; and what the consultation timescale will be.

Lord Marland: The methodology for the occupancy assessment for the Green Deal is being developed with input from a wide range of expert stakeholders. We will be providing more information on the methodology, including a version of the assessment tool for wider testing and feedback, on the BRE website shortly.

Energy: Green Deal

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their response to the Green Deal consultation.

Lord Marland: We received over 600 responses to consultation, which we are currently considering. We will publish our response as soon as possible once this process is completed.

Energy: Green Deal

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with energy companies regarding the timescale for the introduction of the Green Deal.

Lord Marland: My honourable friend the Minister of State for Climate Change met with the larger energy suppliers (British Gas, EDF, E.On, Npower, Scottish Power and SSE) to discuss the Green Deal in January 2012. The timetable for the introduction of the Green Deal was one of the items on the agenda.
	Officials continue to liaise with energy suppliers frequently regarding the programme plan for the introduction of the Green Deal payment collection mechanism.
	The framework for the Green Deal is due to be in place in October 2012.

Energy: Green Deal

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with businesses regarding the training of assessors for the Green Deal.

Lord Marland: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has been involved in regular meetings at official level with stakeholders connected to the development of national occupational standards and training for Green Deal assessors. This has included working with asset skills to communicate the opportunities for training providers through workshops and roadshows throughout the United Kingdom.

Energy: Green Deal

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with trade unions regarding the training of installers and assessors for the Green Deal.

Lord Marland: There have been no recent discussions with trade unions in relation to the training of installers and assessors for the Green Deal.

Energy: Green Deal

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the draft statutory instruments that will give effect to the Green Deal.

Lord Marland: The Government published draft legislation alongside its consultation on 23 November 2011. It is available here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/ content/cros/consultations/-greendeal/greendeal.aspx. Subject to Parliament, we expect to have the final legislation on the statute book by the Summer Recess.

Energy: Smart Meters

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to start the rollout of smart meters; and what take-up they expect in the first (1) six months, and (2) 12 months.

Lord Marland: The Government will set the framework for the rollout of smart meters across Great Britain, and energy suppliers will then be responsible for planning the installation of smart meters for their customers. This year, the Government will define the technical specifications for smart metering equipment, and will place regulatory obligations on suppliers to complete the rollout of smart meters by 2019. The mass rollout of smart meters is expected to start in late 2014, although some suppliers will be installing meters that comply with the technical specification before that date. The Government are working with energy suppliers as they develop their detailed plans for installing smart meters.

Energy: Smart Meters

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of consumer awareness of and support for smart metering.

Lord Marland: The Smart Meters Implementation Programme has been working during foundation stage on the development of a strategy for consumer engagement. This has involved an extensive programme of research and stakeholder consultation, through which we have sought to deepen our understanding of how consumers might respond to smart meters, and the types of activities that might be necessary to encourage consumer engagement. This builds on work carried out in phase 1 of the programme, such as Ofgem's Consumer First Panel workshops, which involved primary research with energy consumers.
	We are aware of a number of assessments of awareness of, and support for, smart metering. They vary, but typically the assessments suggest that awareness is fairly low whereas support for smart metering among those who are aware is higher.
	The programme has commissioned both quantitative and qualitative research to help us assess consumer awareness and support for smart metering, the results of which are expected this spring. We expect to carry out further research over the coming year to track awareness and explore particular aspects in more depth. We also continue to learn from suppliers' early rollout and stakeholder research where possible.

Energy: Smart Meters

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to build consumer awareness of and confidence in smart metering.

Lord Marland: The Smart Meters Implementation Programme has been working on the development of a strategy for consumer engagement. We will be publishing a consultation on the strategy soon, which will include proposals regarding building consumer awareness and confidence in smart metering.

Energy: Smart Meters

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the needs of vulnerable customers relating to the rollout of smart meters, and how they plan to meet any such needs.

Lord Marland: The Smart Meter Implementation Programme continues to explore with interested parties-including the smart meters' consumer advisory group-the needs of vulnerable consumers to ensure they benefit from the installation of smart meters.
	Suppliers have primary responsibility for delivering the rollout. The Government consulted last summer on licence conditions, which will be finalised this year and which will require suppliers to develop an installation code of practice for smart meters. The code will oblige suppliers to identify vulnerable consumers and meet their needs, and it will supplement existing provisions under the Equality Act 2010 and the electricity and gas supply licence conditions.
	In developing the specification for the metering equipment, the Government have taken account of research by Consumer Focus and Ricability and are seeking to ensure that the design of the in-home display is accessible to as many consumers as possible, including those with impairments.
	DECC has jointly funded with Consumer Focus research by National Energy Action to develop a better understanding of the needs of vulnerable consumers. The department is looking at what further research and piloting may be needed to explore the implications of smart metering for vulnerable customers and how any additional support is best delivered.

Energy: Smart Meters

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government by what process they will assess the different technology options for the operation of smart meters, and what criteria they will use.

Lord Marland: The Government are developing minimum technical specifications for the smart metering equipment to ensure technical interoperability and promote effective operation of the end-to-end system. We intend to publish this in March 2012. The Government will also undertake additional work this year on other technical issues including an evaluation of home area network technologies. This will be assessed against defined criteria and informed by a series of radio frequency propagation trials.
	In relation to the data and communication services to support the smart meters system, proposed solutions will be evaluated against a range of criteria including cost, technical suitability, reliability, deliverability, coverage and flexibility.

Energy: Smart Meters

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the provision of access to domestic properties required in connection with the installation of smart meters.

Lord Marland: We will require energy suppliers to install smart meters for their customers and to take all reasonable steps to reach everyone, including making arrangements with individual customers for the necessary access to their property. However, there will not be a legal obligation on individuals to have a smart meter and we do not expect energy suppliers to take legal action to fit a smart meter if they cannot get the householder's co-operation.

Energy: Smart Meters

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the foundation phase smart meter specification to avert interoperability issues with existing smart meters.

Lord Marland: The Government are currently developing specifications for smart metering equipment which it intends to publish shortly. These are based on an agreed set of minimum functional requirements, and will be important in helping to ensure that meters rolled out are interoperable and deliver the required functionality. It is also undertaking other work during 2012 to examine whether further specifications might help support interoperability in the future. This includes a review of the performance of different Home Area Network solutions.

Energy: Wind Farms

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total financial subsidy provided to the top 15 recipients of subsidy under the scheme for promoting wind farms for electricity generation (excluding public limited companies); and what the estimated amounts are for each of those recipients.

Lord Marland: The Renewables Obligation (RO) is currently the main financial mechanism by which the Government incentivises the deployment of large-scale renewable electricity generation. It is a market based subsidy; Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC) are issued in respect of generation, and are trade-able commodities which have no fixed price. Electricity suppliers purchase ROCs, but the amount a supplier pays for a ROC is dependent on bi-lateral commercially confidential negotiations between the supplier and generator.
	The RO is administered by Ofgem, who do not hold information on whether the operator of a generating station is a public limited company. The table below lists for the period December 2010 to November 2011, the top 15 wind generating stations (both onshore and offshore), the operator of the station, and an estimate of the value of ROCs received based on the provisional data from Ofgem. The total estimate for these 15 stations is £387 million out of total RO support in 2010-11 of £1285 million 1.
	
		
			 Generating Station Organisation listed as operator of station Number of ROCs issued to date for generation that took place between Dec 2010 and Nov 2011 Estimate of RO support (£m) (Nos of ROCs x ROC value for 2010-11 of £51.48) 
			 Thanet Offshore Wind Farm Vattenfall Wind Power Ltd 1615892 £83m 
			 Walney Offshore Wind Phase I Walney (UK) Offshore Windfarms Ltd 771861 £40m 
			 Whitelee Windfarm ScottishPower Renewables (UK) 606033 £31m 
			 Robin Rigg Offshore Wind Farm (East) EON UK plc 502059 £26m 
			 Gunfleet Sands I SeaScape Energy Ltd 472978 £24m. 
			 Inner Dowsing Offshore Wind Farm Inner Dowsing Wind Farm Ltd 453663 £23m 
			 Lynn Offshore Wind Farm Lynn Wind Farm Ltd 445637 £23m 
			 Robin Rigg Offshore Wind Farm (West) EON UK plc 411494 £21m 
			 Burbo Offshore Windfarm - A SeaScape Energy Ltd 407483 £21m 
			 Rhyl Flats Wind Farm Npower Renewables Ltd (Wind) 377794 £19m 
			 Crystal Rig II Wind Farm Fred Olsen Renewables Ltd 356238 £18m 
			 Gunfleet Sands II SeaScape Energy Ltd 297801 £15m 
			 Barrow Offshore Windfarm - A Barrow Offshore Wind Limited 293555 £15m 
			 Kentish Flats Ltd- A,C Vattenfall Wind Power Ltd 254817 £13m 
			 Hadyard Hill Windfarm - A,C SSE Generation Ltd 240767 £12m 
		
	
	1 These estimates use the HMT/DECC definition of RO support cost, where the total RO support cost in a given year equals the Obligation level for the year in ROCS times the buyout price. This is also equal to the ROC value times ROCs submitted for compliance.

Energy: Wind Turbines

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the new measures being adopted in Denmark in permitting wind turbine installation near housing areas; and whether they have made any assessment of the research on how low-frequency noise is affecting people in Denmark.

Lord Marland: The Government continue to monitor how various renewable energy issues are tackled in other countries, including the process for allowing onshore wind-turbine development, and to keep abreast of relevant research on the potential impact of noise.

Ethiopia

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the donor assessments commissioned by the Department for International Development into the impact of the villagisation programme in Ethiopia will be published.

Baroness Rawlings: The Department for International Development became aware of allegations surrounding the villagisation programme in late 2010 and immediately took steps to investigate them. Assessments into the impact of the villagisation programme were commissioned by the Development Assistance Group (a group of 26 donors, including the UK, who provide aid to Ethiopia). The UK led multi-donor missions to Gambella and the Somali Region.
	The UK has asked other donors involved in the villagisation assessments for their approval to release these reports but we do not yet have permission from all the agencies concerned. However, we have provided the Ethiopian Government with guidelines on resettlement best practice and these have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Ethiopia

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the issue of villagisation was last raised with the Government of Ethiopia; and whether they raised concerns about human rights abuses and worsening levels of food insecurity associated with this programme.

Baroness Rawlings: My right honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns about human rights and implementation of the villagisation programme when he visited Ethiopia between 28 to 30 January.

Ethiopia

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the recent Human Rights Watch report Waiting Here for Death that Ethiopia's villagisation programme in Gambella region is involuntary and has been associated with significant human rights violations.

Baroness Rawlings: The UK Government led an independent multi-agency mission to Gambella in February 2011. The UK government continues to track developments with the villagisation programme and will continue to raise any concerns with the Ethiopian Government.

Ethiopia

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that United Kingdom aid provided to Ethiopia under the Protection of Basic Services programme is not used to support Ethiopia's villagisation programme.

Baroness Northover: The UK Government do not provide direct support for villagisation despite requests from the Ethiopian Government to do so. It is possible that a small proportion of UK support to the Protection of Basic Services (PBS) programme is being used to provide services for poor people at resettlement sites. PBS has very robust monitoring and audit arrangements and we are confident that these systems will prevent any misuse of UK aid funds.

Ethiopia

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to initiate or support a humanitarian impact assessment into the effects of Ethiopia's villagisation programme in Gambella, in the light of the findings in the Human Rights Watch report Waiting Here for Death.

Baroness Rawlings: The UK took immediate steps to investigate these allegations when first made aware in 2010. The UK led a donor mission to Gambella in early 2011.
	The January 2012 multi-agency food security assessment for Ethiopia was conducted at villagisation sites, as well as in other parts of the country. This assessment found that, in Gambella, 48,100 people would be in need of food aid between now and June 2012. This does not suggest a significant increase in numbers of people requiring assistance in that region, compared to previous assessments.

EU: Finance

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the arrangements for European Union financing of Caribbean countries under the Cotonou Agreement; when there will be disbursements to the individual Windward Islands; and what plans the UK has to support economic diversification strategies as part of the United Kingdom-Caribbean forum.

Baroness Northover: The European Development Fund (EDF) provides development assistance to 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States that are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement. The 10th EDF provides €22.682 billion for the period 2008-2013, of which €1.1 billion is allocated to the Caribbean.
	Timing of disbursements depends on implementation of individual projects. Latest annual disbursement figures available for the Windward Islands are*:
	Dominica €12.72 million;Saint Lucia €8.59 million;Saint Vincent and the Grenadines €2.94 million; andGrenada €8.67 million.
	(*2010 figures according to the EuropeAid 2011 Annual Report)
	A key focus of the DfID programme to the Caribbean is support for economic diversification, given the loss of historic trade preferences and an increasingly competitive global economy.
	For example, DfID provides £10 million to the "COMPETE Caribbean" programme to support private sector development and competitiveness in the region. So far seven firms have been shortlisted for funding to help develop new products and export opportunities. DfID also provides £10 million to support the implementation of the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

EU: Gambling

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they propose to respond to the call for a co-ordinated European Union approach to online gambling as set out in the Green Paper on online gambling in the internal market.

Baroness Rawlings: The Government's response to the European Commission's green paper on Online Gambling in the Internal Market can be found on the Commission's website at https://circabc.europa.eu/faces/jsp/extension/wai/navigation/container.jsp? FormPrincipal:_idcl=FormPrincipal:libraryContentList: pager&page=l&FormPrincipal_SUBMIT=1.
	The Government believes there is scope for practical co-operation to take place between Member States, whilst ensuring that unnecessary duplication and bureaucracy is avoided, and that mechanisms are put in place to allow providers based anywhere in Europe to have access to each Member State's gambling market.
	The Government will be considering the new Communication on Online Gambling in the Internal Market in due course.

EU: Israel Association Agreement

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether discussions at meetings under the European Union-Israel Association Agreement concerning the human rights clauses of the agreement always include points relating to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza; and, if not, whether they will press for their inclusion.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is clear that the human rights clauses of the European Union (EU)-Israel Association Agreement are an important part of the framework governing co-operation between the EU and Israel.
	Human rights discussions formed significant parts of the last meetings of both the EU-Israel Association Council (the ministerial-level body overseeing the Association Agreement) in February 2011 and the EU-Israel Association Committee (the senior official body) in September 2011. Human rights will again be raised by the EU at the next meetings of these bodies. These human rights discussions take into account the situations in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The EU will continue to raise on a routine basis any concerns it has over human rights in these areas (and elsewhere) within the relevant structures of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
	The UK has been clear that it is not in favour of upgrading the EU-Israel Association Agreement until there has been substantial progress towards a two-state solution. Improvements in the human rights situations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories will form an essential part of this.

European Single Market

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 9 February (WA 95), what is the relevance of the European Union capital market directive IV to the operation of the single market.

Lord Sassoon: On 20 July 2011, the European Commission adopted legislative proposals for the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) 4. These proposals are currently being negotiated by the European Council and the European Parliament. As the explanatory memorandum on the Commission's proposals (EM 13284/11) sets out, the proposal for a regulation has its legal basis in Article 114(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which aims to ensure the functioning of the internal market.
	The Government support the completion of the single rule book on EU banking through harmonised definitions and minimum prudential requirements. It is important, however, that member states remain ultimately responsible for financial stability in their respective jurisdictions. The Government are, therefore, very concerned that this approach may constrain the ability of member states to respond flexibly and in a timely manner to systemic risks in their respective jurisdictions, or to mitigate fiscal risk, through macro-prudential policy or implementing higher prudential standards on a permanent basis, that is consistent with the single rule book.

European Year for Active Ageing 2012

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to mark the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing.

Earl Howe: The Government are considering plans to promote active ageing in all settings to mark the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.

Extended Warranties

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report from the Office of Fair Trading on the value for money of extended warranties.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: None. As an independent authority, the OFT has discretion to investigate cases based on the evidence and according to its prioritisation principles.
	I note that the OFT has been given undertakings in lieu by extended warranty providers and, before taking a final decision on whether to accept these and not make a market investigation reference to the Competition Commission, is inviting comments (by 7 March) on the likely effectiveness of the undertakings.

Firearms: Licensing

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many administration staff, managers, firearms enquiry officers, firearms licensing officers and other administrators have been employed (1) full-time, and (2) part-time, in the administration of grants, renewal and variations of firearms and shotgun certificates in each police force in each of the last four years.

Lord Henley: The latest available information shows the full-time equivalent number of police officers and staff with the function of firearms/explosives licensing in each police force area in England and Wales, as at 31 March in each of the years 2008 to 2011. Figures are not available centrally broken down into full-time and part-time staff, nor broken down by specific role within this function.
	
		
			 Number of police officers and police staff within the function firearms/explosives1 in each police force area in England and Wales, as at 31 March 2008 to 31 March 20112, 3 
			  Police Officers Police Staff 
			  31-Mar-2008 31-Mar-2009 31-Mar-2010 31-Mar-2011 31-Mar-2008 31-Mar-2009 31-Mar-2010 31-Mar-2011 
			 Avon & Somerset 0 0 0 0 32 27 18 15 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1 1 0 4 4 5 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 0 0 0 10 11 15 t4 
			 Cheshire 1 0 0 0 13 12 13 10 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 11 11 12 10 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 12 12 14 13 
			 Devon & Cornwall 0 0 1 0 19 17 41 22 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 11 11 11 10 
			 Durham 3 0 0 0 4 4 4 6 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 19 18 20 19 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 17 19 20 20 
			 Gloucestershire 8 6 6 5 3 6 6 6 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 0 7 12 16 16 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 11 8 5 5 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 19 16 19 17 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 15 15 13 10 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 6 5 6 6 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 19 18 18 19 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 10 12 12 12 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 12 12 10 10 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 1 1 15 12 19 16 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 4 4 6 6 6 6 
			 Metropolitan Police 30 26 29 24 75 51 53 55 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 17 12 21 18 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 10 9 11 11 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 0 1 11 15 16 
			 North Wales 2 0 1 1 7 0 13 15 
			 North Yorkshire 3 2 0 0 17 15 20 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 9 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 1 11 12 12 10 
			 South Yorkshire 2 2 3 2 4 4 10 9 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 3 8 8 12 6 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 15 14 16 15 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 16 15 14 13 
			 Sussex 3 2 2 2 21 24 27 27 
			 Thames Valley 1 0 0 0 10 13 12 25 
			 Warwickshire 6 1 0 0 12 10 10 9 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 24 23 24 22 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 18 19 20 13 
			 West Yorkshire 0 2 1 1 14 17 16 17 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 6 1 10 12 10 12 
			 Sum 61 43 55 45 562 538 626 568 
		
	
	1 Firearms/explosives function is defined as staff who are predominantly employed in the processing of applications and in making inquiries for firearm and shotgun certificates, renewals, rejections, appeal and firearms surrendered to police custody, or in connection with the licensing and security of explosives and explosives stores.
	2 Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables.
	3 This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 7 February 2011 (WA 18 and 19) and 10 January 2012 (WA 33) about possible changes to water fluoridation schemes in the United Kingdom, whether they have had discussions with the Government of the Republic of Ireland about why they reduced the concentration of fluoride below one part per million in their schemes; if so, what reasons were given; and what consideration they have given to those reasons.

Earl Howe: From contacts with Irish officials, we understand that the Republic of Ireland Government reduced the concentration because of concerns about dental fluorosis. We have no evidence to show that residents of areas receiving fluoridated water in England find dental fluorosis aesthetically unacceptable. The results of a research project funded by the National Health Service on the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis should be published shortly.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 24 November 2011 (WA 275) and 10 January 2012 (WA 33) in which they state that they now see no relevance in the usage of fluoride supplements in the United States, what kind of evidence they are seeking from the United States that could influence their decision on whether to lower the fluoride concentration in United Kingdom water fluoridation schemes.

Earl Howe: A balance has to be struck between maximising the protective effect of fluoridation and the prevalence of the only recognised side effect, dental fluorosis. We will therefore be looking for evidence of aesthetically unacceptable levels of dental fluorosis in the United States and other areas where the water supply has been fluoridated at one part per million and the local population had been advised not to use fluoride supplements.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the added fluoride used in United Kingdom water fluoridation schemes is classified as of pharmaceutical or industrial grade.

Earl Howe: These distinctions are not used in regulations in the United Kingdom. Two compounds of fluoride are permitted for artificial fluoridation: hexafluorosilicic acid and sodium fluorosilicate, which are manufactured to exacting quality standards to meet European standards and approval by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 January (WA 34), whether in the light of the small numbers in the Newcastle fluoride bioavailability study, and the cautions issued by the study authors in their first report in 2004, they will cease to make health claims for it or base policy on it.

Earl Howe: No. Despite the size of the sample, the researchers concluded that the findings were still statistically significant.

Food: Arsenic

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce new regulations regarding the arsenic level in rice in the United Kingdom.

Earl Howe: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority have been collecting data on the occurrence of arsenic in rice to enable discussions for a European Union maximum limit for arsenic (mostly likely for the inorganic chemical form) in rice and possibly for other products such as algae (seaweeds). No EU maximum limit has yet been formally proposed but discussions are expected to start in the first half of this year. Any agreed EU maximum limit would apply directly in the United Kingdom via an amendment to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 on contaminants in food.
	In addition, a draft Codex Alimentarius Commission proposal for an international standard on acceptable levels of arsenic in rice is expected to be discussed at the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food in March 2012. However, it is likely to be some time until any international standard is agreed.
	The UK is taking full part in both the Codex and EU discussions and the FSA will consult relevant stakeholders on any forthcoming proposals.

Forced Marriage

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they accept the finding in the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee report on forced marriage, that there is "clear evidence that many schools are not fulfilling their statutory responsibilities with regard to forced marriage"; and, if so, whether they will introduce measures to ensure that teachers address the threat of forced marriage to pupils in their schools so as to provide effective child protection.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider their refusal to give effect to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee's recommendation in their report on forced marriage that Ofsted inspectors should "pay particular attention to policies in place to deal with forced marriage in their assessments of the safeguarding arrangements of schools where pupils are likely to be at risk of forced marriage".

Lord Hill of Oareford: All schools have statutory responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils. The Government believe that individual schools are best placed to decide how to fulfil those responsibilities by helping children who may be vulnerable to particular types of harm, such as forced marriage. We do not agree that many schools are failing to meet their responsibilities.
	As stated in the Government's response to the Home Affairs Committee's report on forced marriage, we recognise that the issue of forced marriage may be relevant to inspectors' evaluation of schools' arrangements for keeping pupils safe. If concerns are brought to the attention of inspectors they will be expected to satisfy themselves that the school is doing everything it can to support pupils. The Government do not, however, believe that it would be appropriate to ask Ofsted to consider schools' forced marriage policies as part of every inspection.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning a response to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, which submitted criminal complaints three years ago on behalf of families whose members were severely injured during Operation Cast Lead.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We regularly raise with the Israeli authorities the importance of due process and access to justice for Palestinians affected by the occupation. We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this specific issue.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the arrest on 19 January at the Erez crossing in Gaza and subsequent imprisonment of Bassam Raihan; and what steps they will take to ensure that those leaving Gaza for urgent medical treatment are not subject to cruel and degrading treatment.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We continue to raise with the Israeli Government the need to ease their restrictions on movement and access to and from Gaza, in close co-ordination with the office of the Quartet Representative and European Union partners.
	Officials at our consulate general in Jerusalem have discussed the case of Mr Bassam Raihan with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), which confirmed that Mr Raihan is in Israeli custody at Ashdod prison in southern Israel, having been arrested while seeking to cross from Gaza to the West Bank for medical treatment. PCHR is making efforts to ensure that he has access to legal representation. We continue to monitor developments.
	The Department for International Development (DfID) supports the United Nations (UN) Access Coordination Unit, to work with the UN, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and aid agencies to facilitate the transfer of vital humanitarian assistance, including medical equipment and supplies, in and out of Gaza. DfID gives the UN Access Coordination Unit £1.1 million to help support its work.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had concerning the supply of affordable fuel to Gaza, following the stoppage of the Gaza power plant due to shortage of fuel on 14 February.

Baroness Northover: We hold Israel, as the occupying power, responsible for ensuring Gaza's basic needs are met and this includes the provision of fuel. Israel continues to provide 120 megawatts of electricity per day directly to Gaza, which meets approximately 43 per cent of Gaza's power needs and is paid for by the Palestinian Authority. The remainder of Gaza's power needs, including the fuel needed to operate the Gaza power station, is sourced from Egypt. We understand that the stoppage of the Gaza power plant on 14 February was due to a shortage of fuel entering Gaza from Egypt.
	Discussions are continuing between the Palestinian and Egyptian authorities on the transfer of fuel to Gaza. The UK continues to press the Israeli authorities on the urgent need to ease movement and access restrictions into and out of Gaza, including for the reconstruction of essential infrastructure to ensure a sustainable and affordable power supply for the Gazan people.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the airstrikes in Gaza on 3 February which wounded four civilians, and destroyed and damaged civilian buildings and a water tank.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK remains concerned about the situation in Gaza and by recent incidents in and around Gaza.
	We continue to urge restraint on all sides and to condemn any acts that might lead to an escalation of the fragile situation on the ground or cause civilian casualties. All such violence represents both an unacceptable risk to innocent life and a real obstacle to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
	We have not raised the specific incidents on 3 February, but are continuing to monitor developments closely and to raise our concerns as appropriate.

Government Departments: Maternity Leave

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a common policy on maternity leave across all government departments; and, if so, how much paid leave mothers are permitted to take after giving birth.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There is not a central Civil Service maternity leave policy. Under the terms of the Civil Service Management Code, arrangements for maternity leave and pay are matters for departments to determine. Departmental policies will provide at least the minimum statutory requirements for those who are eligible for maternity leave and pay.

Government Departments: Opinion Polls

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many opinion polls have been carried out for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and each of its agencies in the past two years; on what issues each poll was conducted, and when; what was the cost of each poll; and how many people were polled.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: BIS collects selected information on its surveys of individuals or households, some of which may be classed as opinion polls as they ask about views or attitudes. In 2010-11, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) carried out three such opinion polls, with a total of 3,600 contacts made and a total cost to BIS of £318,000. In 2011-12 so far, BIS has not carried out any such opinion polls. Data were not collected prior to 2010-11. Details that are available are given in the table. The activities of agencies are not known.
	Detailed information on all surveys of businesses and local authorities carried out by BIS are collected and reported on annually. None of these surveys can be classed as opinion polls. BIS also carries out market research studies as part of its campaign development; these have also not been classed as opinion polls.
	
		
			 Surveys of individuals or households that may be classed as opinion polls, 2010-11 
			 Survey title Detailed description Carried out Contacts Cost 
			 Public Attitudes to Science 2011 To assess attitudes to science, including attitudes to scientific careers and education, public engagement with science and technology, and highlighting issues around trust in scientists and the work that they do Summer 2010 2,103 £300,000 
			 Public Attitudes to Science 2011; Survey of 14-16 year olds To gauge young people's attitudes to science, including science careers and engagement Jan 11 500 Included in Public Attitudes to Science 
			 Public Attitudes to Animal Experimentation  Dec 10 997 £18,000 
			 2010-11 Total   3,600 £318,000 
		
	
	Source: BIS Survey Activity Annual Report
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/analysis/statistics/about-national-statistics/survev-activity
	I have asked the CEOs of the executive agencies to write to the noble Peer, and a copy of their letters will be placed in the Library of the House.

Government Departments: Opinion Polls

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many opinion polls have been carried out for the Department of Energy and Climate Change and each of its agencies in the past two years; on what issues each poll was conducted, and when; what was the cost of each poll; and how many people were polled.

Lord Marland: Taking opinion polling to be any quantitative survey asking people or businesses about their opinions and attitudes, then details of such surveys which took place between 7 February 2010 and 8 February 2012 are listed below.
	
		
			 Issues covered by the survey When it was conducted Cost of survey Number of respondents 
			 Understanding potential responses to the Green Deal Nov 2009-Feb 2010 £145,000 2,000 face-to-face in home interviews with members of public 
			 DECC Stakeholder survey May 2010; Feb-June 2011 £24,750 per wave 250 telephone interviews with stakeholders per wave 
			 Evaluation of the impact of the Low Carbon Community Challenge projects (LCCC). Two surveys were conducted: baseline and post intervention follow-up Feb-Mar 2010 Sept-Nov 2011 £339,000 13,185 home interviews (per wave) with members of public and residents in LCCC areas 
			 Understanding potential response to the Green Deal by non domestic organisations (mainly businesses) Sept-Oct 2011 £97,000 3,000 telephone interviews with businesses 
			 Understanding the impact of varying levels of subsidy on householders' likelihood of taking up a Green Deal Nov 2011 £17,410 2000 face-to-face omnibus interviews with members of the public 
			 Potential for businesses in the unconstrained sector to help UK meet emissions targets Jan-Mar 2010 £15,700 400 telephone interviews with businesses 
			 Survey of organisation behaviour and energy efficiency Dec-Feb 2010 £21,400 860 telephone interviews with businesses 
			 Energy Follow-up Survey (a subset of participants from the annual English Housing Survey) Jan-April 2011 £750,000 This cost includes 2,600 in-depth home interviews with householders 
			 Assessing the administrative costs of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme Aug-Sept 2011 £49,675 740 businesses responding to an online survey, plus 56 in-depth interviews 
			 Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) omnibus survey which asked householders about behaviour and attitudes Jan-Feb 2011 £22,960 1,300 face-to-face interviews with householders and 200 CERT customers

Government Departments: Public Consultations

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they provide to departments and the public on publishing responses to public consultations on Green Papers and draft Bills; and how they monitor compliance with that guidance.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Paragraphs 6.4 and 6.5 of the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation set out the principles that departments should follow in responding to formal written consultation exercises. The code of practice is published at: http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/tile47158.pdf.
	More detailed guidance for departments to support their application of the code of practice is published on the BIS website at: http://www.bis.gov. uk/policies/bre/consultation-guidance
	Responsibility for monitoring the effectiveness of consultation exercises, including compliance with the code of practice, rests with individual departments.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 5 December (WA 120), what are the terms of reference of the review Promoting Equality, Valuing Diversity-A Strategy forthe Civil Service 2008-13; and when they expect its findings to be made public.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There are no formal terms of reference for the review.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 10 January (WA 38-9), whether they will ascertain from the relevant departments how many civil servants are paid as departmental trade union side staff in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Justice, and HM Revenue and Customs, and the cost in each of those departments of pay, time off and facilities for those staff last year.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Individual departments determine the amount of trade union facility time. As part of the forthcoming consultation with the Civil Service trade unions, we will be looking at reducing the overall amount of facilities time that can be offered by government departments to bring it more in line with practice in the wider public sector. In order to ensure transparency about the union facility time for which government departments are paying, departments will publish information relating to Civil Service trade union representatives and the amount of paid time that is being spent on union work, as well as the overall percentage of the pay bill for which this accounts.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many complaints about civil servants in the Department for Education have been made by members of the public in the past two years; and, in each case, what investigation was undertaken, what action was taken, whether any compensation was paid, and, if so, how much.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Staff in the department are bound by the Civil Service Code: http://www. civilservice.gov.uk/about/values.
	Where a complaint has been made by a member of the public against a staff member and it is judged that the code has been breached, the individual will be subject to the department's conduct and disciplinary procedures. In this regard, there is no record of complaints against departmental staff by members of the public in the past two years.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many complaints about civil servants in the Home Office have been made by members of the public in the past two years; and, in each case, what investigation was undertaken, what action was taken, whether any compensation was paid, and, if so, how much.

Lord Henley: Between the dates of the 1 April 2010 and 31 December 2011, 415 complaints were received against civil servants in the Home Office and its agencies. To collate information on investigations undertaken, action taken and compensation paid could only be provided at disproportionate cost. All cases of alleged serious or gross misconduct are formally investigated.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Ministry of Defence or nominated by the Ministry of Defence or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Department of Energy and Climate Change or nominated by the Department of Energy and Climate Change or ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord Marland: My right honourable friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Department for Work and Pensions or nominated by the Department for Work and Pensions or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord Freud: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Cabinet Office or nominated by the Cabinet Office or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Prime Minister's Office or nominated by the Prime Minister's Office or ministers in that Office who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the department's payroll.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Department for Communities and Local Government or nominated by the Department for Communities and Local Government or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Baroness Hanham: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll. I also refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Bob Neill) on 12 December 2011 (Official Report, col. 483W).

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Department of Health or nominated by the Department of Health or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Earl Howe: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or nominated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Baroness Rawlings: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Ministry of Justice or nominated by the Ministry of Justice or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord McNally: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds and by whose authority the police may arrest a civil servant employed by the Ministry of Defence on that department's property, or remove papers and property from that civil servant's office.

Lord Astor of Hever: Ministry of Defence police officers are police officers with constabulary powers provided by the Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987, which affords jurisdiction over Ministry of Defence personnel and assets. This would include arrests of Ministry of Defence civil servants, as well as searches of their home and work premises and seizures of any evidence found in connection with criminal investigations.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds and by whose authority the police may arrest a civil servant employed by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on that department's property, or remove papers and property from that civil servant's office.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Police powers of arrest, search and seizure, as set out in Parts 2 and 3 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, apply to all individuals, including civil servants, and to all government premises. Before any arrest or removal of papers and property from BIS premises, usual practice would be to seek the consent of our departmental security unit.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds and by whose authority the police may arrest a civil servant employed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on that department's property, or remove papers and property from that civil servant's office.

Lord Marland: Police powers of arrest, search and seizure, as set out in Parts 2 and 3 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, apply to all individuals, including civil servants, and to all government premises. Before doing so on the department's premises, usual practice would be to seek the prior consent of our departmental security unit.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds and by whose authority the police may arrest a civil servant employed by the Department of Education on that department's property, or remove papers and property from that civil servant's office.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Police powers of arrest, search and seizure, as set out in Parts 2 and 3 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, apply to all individuals, including civil servants, and to all government premises.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or nominated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers, where salaried, are paid through the departmental payroll.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Department for International Development or nominated by the Department for International Development or ministers in that Department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Baroness Northover: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Scotland Office or nominated by the Scotland Office or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: No Scotland Office staff, and no persons nominated by the office or its Ministers, hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and are paid through a company for their services.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Wales Office or nominated by the Wales Office or ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Wales Office holds no such posts.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds and by whose authority the police may arrest a civil servant employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on that department's property, or remove papers and property from that civil servant's office.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Police powers of arrest, search and seizure, as set out in Parts II and III of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, apply to all individuals, including civil servants, and to all government premises.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Government-funded organisations pay bonuses to their staff; and whether HM Treasury is consulted on those bonuses.

Lord Sassoon: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is asked to approve pay levels of £142,500 and above and bonus arrangements of £50,000 and above for individuals in all Civil Service organisations and in respect of appointments to public bodies which are subject to ministerial approval.
	In May 2010, it was announced that bonuses for senior civil servants would be restricted to the top 25 per cent of performers. For non-senior civil servants, departments have an annual non-consolidated performance pot, which is currently frozen as a percentage of paybill, restricting spend to around 1 per cent of paybill. Information on non-consolidated pay in the Civil Service was published on departmental websites and linked to data.gov.uk in October 2011.
	The Treasury does not hold information on the overall number of non-Civil Service, government-funded organisations that pay bonuses to their staff. However, many of these organisations were set up to be arm's length of Treasury control, but with their own governance structure to provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Government: Ministerial Visits

Baroness Nye: To ask Her Majesty's Government what foreign visits were made by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers from 11 May 2010 to 31 September 2010, and from 1 July 2011 to 31 January 2012.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As set out in the Ministerial Code, details of Ministers' overseas travel are published on a quarterly basis on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
	Transparency data for the period May 2010 to June 2011 can be accessed on the FCO website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/
	Information for the period July 2011 to 31 January 2012 will be published in due course.

Greece: Financial Support

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current level of the United Kingdom's commitment in guarantees and financial support for Greece in the event of a Greek loan default, through the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

Lord Sassoon: The existing package of financial assistance for Greece, worth €110 billion over three years, was agreed in May 2010. This comprises an IMF stand-by arrangement of €30 billion and a package of bilateral loans from euro area member states of €80 billion. A total of €73 billion (of which €20.1 billion has come from the IMF) has been disbursed to date.
	There was no contribution either from the EU budget or from the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM), which is backed by the EU budget. Therefore the UK's exposure to Greece's financial assistance package is through the IMF alone.
	The broad terms of a second package of assistance were agreed by euro area Finance Ministers on 21 February 2012, including a 53.5 per cent face-value reduction on existing Greek bonds as part of an offer being made, by the Greek Government, to private sector bond holders. The final size of the package is yet to be determined and will be decided once the private sector's participation is known and Greece has implemented a set of agreed prior actions. There has been no formal decision on an IMF contribution to the second package.
	The UK lends to the IMF as an institution and not to particular programmes; therefore it is not possible to provide an exact estimate of the UK's contribution to individual IMF programmes. As a rough estimate, we would expect the UK's exposure to overall IMF lending to be in line with its quota share of 4.5 per cent. However, the IMF has preferred creditor status and no country has ever lost money lending to the IMF.

Health Lottery

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take action to require the Health Lottery to increase the proportion of its income that it contributes to charities.

Baroness Rawlings: It is a requirement of the Gambling Act 2005 that a society lottery should apply a minimum of 20 per cent of the proceeds of each lottery to the causes for which it has been set up to support. The Government keep legislation under review in light of new developments but would need to consider whether any changes are justified, and, in particular, the potential impact on the ability of society lotteries to raise funds for worthwhile causes.

Health: Cardiology

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider the south of England congenital heart network to be a model that addresses, and offers a solution to, the concerns raised by the Safe and Sustainable review of children's congenital cardiac services.

Earl Howe: The review of children's congenital heart services is a clinically led National Health Service review, independent of government. The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, on behalf of local NHS commissioners, will decide the future pattern of children's congenital heart services in England. It is expected to make that decision later this year.
	It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on the merits of different models of children's heart services while the review process, which is subject to ongoing legal proceedings, continues.

Health: Costs

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 November 2011 (WA 249), for what proportion of the pensioner caseload in the Republic of Ireland the United Kingdom pays pensioners' healthcare costs.

Earl Howe: For 2011, the United Kingdom was liable for the healthcare costs of 37.74 per cent of the pensioner caseload in the Republic of Ireland.

Health: Diabetes

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are taking action to support the Danish presidency of the Council of the European Union in its efforts to highlight the increasing incidence of diabetes.

Earl Howe: The Government welcomes the efforts of the Danish presidency to raise awareness of diabetes and we recognise common objectives relating to the prevention, earlier detection, and better management of diabetes.
	Paul Burstow, the Minister responsible for diabetes, and the National Clinical Director for Diabetes, have accepted invitations to the European diabetes leadership forum, hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Danish Diabetes Association. This forum will follow the European Union Health Ministers' meeting in April. In addition, the National Diabetes Information Service, hosted by Yorkshire and Humberside Public Health Observatory, is considering how best to improve the international benchmarking of data relating to diabetes.

Health: Education and Training

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether postgraduate deans will be in control of the allocation of trainees to courses and the associated funding, under the new arrangements for medical education and training.

Earl Howe: The work of the postgraduate deaneries will continue until the new arrangements start in April 2013. Strategic health authorities will continue to be accountable for postgraduate deaneries until 31 March 2013. From 1 April 2013, the Local Education and Training Boards will assume responsibility for education and training including deanery functions and associated funding in line with the guidance published in Liberating the NHS: Developing the Healthcare Workforce, From Design to Delivery, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.

Health: Mesothelioma

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 8 February (WA 70), whether the figures cited include predictions for female deaths from mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases; and what are the projected figures up to 2050, for both male and female deaths.

Lord Freud: The figures cited in the Written Answer on 8 February stated that between 33,000 and 49,000 mesothelioma deaths are projected to occur over the next 20 years (2010 to 2029) related to both sexes. A breakdown of the number of projected mesothelioma deaths for males and females over this period and longer-term predictions to 2050 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Actual deaths Projected deaths Projected deaths 
			  1968-2009 2010-2029 2030-2050 
			 Males 35,958 26,000 - 40,000 5,000 - 19,000 
			 Females 6,363 7,000 - 9,000 5,000 - 9,000 
		
	
	The wide ranges for the future predictions are a result of the substantial statistical uncertainty which particularly affects the long-range predictions for males beyond 2030. All of the projections for females are very uncertain due to the smaller number of deaths among women compared to men.

Health: Neurology

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to implement the Long-term Neurological Conditions Dataset, published in 2010, in the light of the lack of baseline metrics with which to measure progress in neurological services cited in the National Audit Office report Services for people with neurological conditions.

Earl Howe: We are considering the findings of the National Audit Office report on services for people with neurological conditions, and will be responding in due course.

Health: Patient Safety

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the General Medical Council publication Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety in which doctors are asked not to sign contracts that interfere with their responsibility to report their concerns about patient safety.

Earl Howe: The department has made clear that any clauses, inserted into an individual's contract, seeking to prohibit that individual from raising a concern in the public interest, are not to be used. Furthermore the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 renders such clauses void. The department supports and welcomes the guidance published by the General Medical Council, which advises doctors against entering into such contracts and which more generally highlights their professional responsibility that doctors have to ensure that they report any concerns about patient safety.

Health: Private Medical Insurance

Lord Walton of Detchant: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of restrictions placed by Bupa and other private medical insurers on the choice of consultant or hospital to which insured patients can be referred, irrespective of the advice of their general practitioner, and their impact on healthcare in the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the degree to which Bupa and other private medical insurers exclude pre-existing conditions from their cover, and its impact on healthcare in the United Kingdom.

Earl Howe: The department is aware that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published a market study covering private healthcare in December 2011. A copy of the study is available on the OFT's website at: www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/market-studies/OFT1396_Private_healthcare.pdf.
	The OFT is expected to make a final decision by March on whether to refer the market to the Competition Commission.

Health: Psoriatic Arthritis

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what account the Department of Health is taking of Outside In, a best practice guidance document for the care of people with psoriatic arthritis; and whether they will ensure that the NHS Commissioning Board is made aware of its recommendations as it develops commissioning guidance for the condition.

Earl Howe: I am grateful to the noble Lord for drawing my attention to the guidance document produced by a working group sponsored by British Health Professionals in Rheumatology and the Psoriasis Association. We will gladly ensure that the NHS Commissioning Board is made aware of its recommendations in deciding whether, and how, to develop commissioning guidance for this condition.

Higher Education: Funding

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many adults aged 24 and over currently studying for a level 3 or 4 qualification in further education (1) receive a free course, (2) receive a subsidised course, or (3) pay full fees.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: In the 2010-11 academic year, the latest year for which final data are available, 475,000 adults aged 24 and over studying towards a level 3 or level 4 aim in further education received government funding. Of these, 108,000 had their fees waived in full. Learners funded by the adult safeguarded learning budget are not included.
	Information is not available on the total number of non-government funded learners who pay full fees.

Higher Education: Postgraduate Certificate in Education

Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Postgraduate Certificate in Education places were filled for September 2011; how many applicants there were for those places; and, of those applicants, how many were from (1) Oxford University, (2) Cambridge University, (3) University College London, (4) the London School of Economics and Political Science, (5) Imperial College, and (6) the London Metropolitan University.

Lord Hill of Oareford: In England, there were 53,745 applicants for places on Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses through the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) for the 2011-12 academic year. Of this number, 21,405 accepted an offer of a place1 for 2011-12.
	Of the 53,745 applicants:
	(1) 320 held a degree from University of Oxford;
	(2) 330 held a degree from University of Cambridge;
	(3) 255 held a degree from University College London;
	(4) 55 held a degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science;
	(5) 100 held a degree from Imperial College London; and
	(6) 555 held a degree from London Metropolitan University.
	1 Included applicants are those who applied to an English institution as one of their choices when applying for a PGCE course. Acceptances include acceptance of a place from any choice, including applications to Scottish or Welsh institutions.

Home Energy Conservation Act 1995

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish guidance for local authorities on the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995; and what the consultation timescale will be.

Lord Marland: We are currently considering the future scope of guidance under the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA). While there is no formal requirement to consult we are developing proposals in consultation with local government (in the context of DECC's memorandum of understanding with the Local Government Association) and other stakeholders. We propose to issue new HECA guidance in late spring 2012.

House of Lords: Food Waste

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask the Chairman of Committees what was the estimated amount of food waste generated by House of Lords food outlets in each month since April 2010; what plans are in place to limit food waste; what are the current arrangements for disposing of food waste; and what plans exist for a more environmentally sustainable food waste strategy for the future.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The estimated food waste generated by House of Lords outlets in each month since April 2010 is shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Month Total cost of waste 
			 April 2010 1991.45 
			 May 2010 1731.14 
			 June 2010 3244.10 
			 July 2010 3215.31 
			 August 2010 0.00 
			 September 2010 2868.03 
			 October 20 10 2608.85 
			 November 2010 2685.65 
			 December 2010 2427.67 
			 January 2011 3134.28 
			 February 2011 2492.3 I 
			 March 2011 3517.48 
			 April 2011 1242.23 
			 May 2011 2442.29 
			 June 2011 2560.42 
			 July 2011 2341.93 
			 August 2011 0.00 
			 September 2011 1930.16 
			 October 2011 3469.17 
			 November 2011 6725.15 
			 December 2011 3029.73 
			 January 2012 2800.84 
			 Total 56458.19 
		
	
	The above figures represent prepared unsold food waste at cost value that cannot be reused or recycled. To put this into perspective, total food waste for the period above is 3.2 per cent of total food consumption. The highest proportion of food waste is from the cafeterias and self-service outlets.
	Catering and retail services seek to reduce the amount of food waste generated through the use, where appropriate, of pre-prepared ingredients and careful menu management. Food waste is also controlled by reuse, and approximately 50 per cent of unsold prepared food products are either recycled through other outlets or reused (subject to food safety procedures).
	Unsold food waste is either bagged or passed through a commercial waste disposal unit which extracts most of the water content, resulting in a dry mass which is bagged. The food waste is currently disposed of as part of the mixed general waste stream. This waste is sent to a local facility where energy is generated from incineration. None of the food waste produced is sent to landfill.
	For the future, work is now under way with Parliament's new waste management contractor to increase composting rates for food waste in preference to incineration.

House of Lords: Membership

Baroness Hayman: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Strathclyde on 9 February (HL Deb, col. 359) that "the Government are working towards the objective of creating a second Chamber that reflects the share of the votes secured by the political parties at the last general election", to which of the political parties which contested the last general election this policy applies.

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Strathclyde on 9 February (HL Deb, col. 359), that "the Government are working towards the objective of creating a second chamber that reflects the share of the votes secured by the political parties at the last general election", whether they intend to create Members of the House of Lords representing the UK Independence Party, the Green Party or the British National Party; and how they are calculating the number of Cross-Bench Peers to be created.

Lord Strathclyde: It has been the practice for the Prime Minister of the day to determine nominations for life peerages.

House of Lords: Reform

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the First Minister of Wales about reform of the House of Lords.

Lord McNally: The Government have received no representations on House of Lords reform from the First Minister of Wales.

Housing

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an estimate of the number of households that will be required to move from social housing to smaller private rented accommodation with a higher rent in each constituency in Greater Manchester as a result of the reforms proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill.

Lord Freud: The information requested is not available.
	We are unable to accurately estimate the numbers moving out of, or into, the social rented sector as different claimants are likely to have different options available to them, and will respond in a variety of ways to the reforms proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill. Those affected by the under-occupation measure can continue to live in their current accommodation and make up any shortfall by other means, such as through employment or by using other income or savings. Alternatively they may decide to move to smaller accommodation which better reflects the size and composition of their household.
	As with all new policies we plan to monitor and evaluate the effects of these changes.
	The impact assessment, entitled Under-Occupation of Social Housing, provides information about the effect of the housing benefit change on different groups of claimants, and can be found at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf.

Human Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have not included in the Health and Social Care Bill terms to make clear that third sector and private providers of home care, within the meaning of Paragraph 2 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 and Section 2(28) of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 and Section 1(1)(c) of and Schedule 1 to the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002, are subject to the duty imposed by Section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Earl Howe: Our view is that all providers of publicly funded health and social care services should consider themselves to be bound by the duty imposed by Section 6 of the Human Rights Act. While we accept that there are arguments on both sides, we think that there are good arguments that a court would find that the provision of publicly funded personal care at home is a function of a public nature.
	Any amendment to the Human Rights Act in relation to third sector and private providers of home care, such as provision in the Health and Social Care Bill to specify explicitly that they are subject to the Section 6 duty, risks casting doubt on the interpretation of the Human Rights Act in other sectors. Each time specific provision is made with respect to a particular type of body, we weaken the applicability of the general test and raise doubt about all those bodies that have not been specified explicitly in the legislation.
	The Government have established a commission to look at how human rights are protected in the United Kingdom, to see if things can be done better and in a way that reflects our traditions. The commission is due to report by the end of this year.

Human Rights

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government which cases in the last five years they have requested be referred to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, and in which non-UK cases at a Chamber or the Grand Chamber they have sought leave to intervene in the written procedure or been invited to submit written comments or take part in hearings under Article 36.2 of the Convention.

Lord McNally: Since the start of 2007, the Government of the United Kingdom has requested that the following cases be referred to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights:
	Al Khawaja;
	Al Saadoon and Mufdhi;
	Clift;
	Gillan and Quinton;
	Greens and MT;
	Sufi and Elmi; and
	Tahery.
	Since the start of 2007, the Government of the United Kingdom has intervened by way of written submissions in the following cases which were not brought against the United Kingdom:
	Al Dulimi et Montana Management Inc v Switzerland;
	El Haski v Belgium;
	Nada v Switzerland;
	Saadi v Italy;
	Schalk and Kopf v Austria;
	Scoppola v Italy;
	Taxquet v Belgium;
	TV Vest v Norway; and
	20 cases concerning planned deportations to Greece under the Dublin Convention, including four cases against Belgium and 14 cases against the Netherlands, and two cases against France.
	In addition, since 2007, the UK has appeared at the oral hearings in:
	MSS v Greece;
	Saadi v Italy;
	Nada v Switzerland; and
	Scoppola v Italy.

Immigration

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Henley on 6 February (WA 13 and 14), whether the United Kingdom is obliged to follow the Zambrano judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union; what is its relevance to the United Kingdom; whether it can be appealed; and what are the major implications for the United Kingdom arising from it.

Lord Henley: The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) handed down the judgment in the case of Ruiz Zambrano (C-34/09) in March 2011. The Home Office is considering the implications of this judgment and its effect on the rights of third-country nationals with a dependent Union citizen and is in the process of finalising its policy, including possible changes to the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 ("the Regulations") that would be required in order to enable the issue of documentation on this basis.
	Judgments handed down by the ECJ are binding on all member states and cannot be appealed.

India

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comment by India's Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, that "We do not require the aid. It is a peanut in our total development exercises".

Baroness Northover: The remarks made by the Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in a parliamentary debate in 2010 have been quoted out of context by the media and do not represent the Indian Government's current position. India's Finance Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry have issued statements making clear the value they attach to the development partnership with Britain.

India

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comment by India's former Foreign Minister, Nirupama Rao, in 2010, that India should not accept any further aid from the United Kingdom because of "the negative publicity of Indian poverty promoted by the Department for International Development".

Baroness Northover: The Government have substantially changed its programme to India since 2010. The current view of India's Ministry of External Affairs is set out in a statement of 8 February; "India appreciates co-operation extended by UK in a number of areas, which have contributed to India's overall development efforts, particularly through capacity building, exchange of best practices, knowledge sharing and sharing of technology and technical expertise. The bilateral co-operation between India and UK has been and remains mutually beneficial."

Institutional Investors: Voting Records

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 7 February (WA 49), whether they or the Financial Reporting Council have reviewed whether the adequacy of reporting on the exercise of voting rights in United Kingdom companies by institutional investors meets stewardship standards in terms of comply or explain.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The Financial Reporting Council's most recent assessment of the impact and implementation of the stewardship code confirmed that all signatories complied with the disclosure requirements, or explained why not. Last year's annual survey of Investment Management Association members on the stewardship code found that nearly two-thirds of respondents publicly disclosed voting information.
	The Financial Reporting Council carries out an annual monitoring exercise on implementation of the stewardship code and as a result of last year's exercise they will be consulting on changes to strengthen the code later in the year.

Intelligence Services Act

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many authorisations have been given by Secretaries of State under Section 7 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994.

Lord Howell of Guildford: It is the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security and intelligence matters.

Iran

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are imposing additional sanctions on Iran in the light of statements in January by the United States Defense Secretary and the Director of National Intelligence that Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon.

Lord Howell of Guildford: United States Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, said in an interview on 8 January with CBS that Iran is laying the groundwork for making nuclear weapons in the future, but is not yet building a bomb. This is consistent with our position on the Iranian nuclear programme.
	We and our E3+3 partners, including the United States, France, Germany, Russia and China, are seriously concerned by the continuing development of the Iranian nuclear programme. Iran claims its programme is peaceful. However, the November report from the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency raises serious questions about military dimensions to the programme. Furthermore, Iran continues to expand its capability to produce near 20 per cent enriched uranium at its previously clandestine facility at Qom. This work is on a scale that has no plausible civilian justification. These steps, taken together, bring Iran closer to possessing a nuclear weapons capability.
	We and our partners are committed to a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue, which is why, in line with the E3+3's dual track policy of pressure and engagement, we are increasing the pressure on Iran to return to the negotiating table.

Iran

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy towards military intervention in Iran; and what representations about military intervention in Iran they have made to the Government of the United States and other principal allies.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government want a peaceful, negotiated solution to the Iran nuclear issue, not a military one. To this end, we are pursuing a dual-track strategy of engagement and pressure. This diplomatic strategy is about avoiding military outcomes to the situation. But all options should be kept on the table.
	We regularly discuss Iran with our principal allies, including the United States. The dual-track strategy of pressure and engagement is agreed among the E3+3 nations (China, France, Germany, Russia, UK and the United States).

Iraq

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Iraq about the ratification this month of 23 death sentences by the President of Iraq.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Throughout 2011, we continued to raise our opposition to the death penalty with the Iraqi Government at the highest levels. However, the recent number of executions in Iraq is deeply concerning, particularly amid reports that so far in 2012, 65 executions have been carried out in Iraq. This brings the total number of executions in Iraq since November to 94. This is clearly a worrying trend, and our ambassador in Baghdad raised our concern with the Vice-President of Iraq on 30 January and with the Chief Justice on 8 February. We support the recent European Union statement calling for the Government of Iraq to introduce a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to its eventual abolition.

Iraq: Camp Ashraf

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the views expressed by the United Nations Special Representative for Iraq in the International Herald Tribune on 16 February, concerning the residents of Camp Ashraf, in particular regarding their permanent resettlement in third countries.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government welcome the ongoing efforts of United Nations (UN) Special Representative of the Secretary-General Martin Kobler to broker a peaceful solution to the situation at Camp Ashraf. We welcome the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Government of Iraq and the UN to allow for the voluntary transfer of some residents to Camp Liberty.
	The one British citizen we were aware was in Camp Ashraf has left and returned to the UK. Of the five Iranian residents of Camp Ashraf with valid UK refugee travel documents, four have left Camp Ashraf and arrived in the UK. The fifth is free to return to the UK so long as the refugee travel document remains valid. The UK has agreed to consider further the cases of the approximately 50 residents with previous residence in the UK as refugees who do not have valid refugee travel documents, subject to UNHCR (the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) conducting an assessment of their refugee status. The UK has no plans to provide resettlement opportunities for other residents of Camp Ashraf or Camp Liberty.

Iraq: Camp Liberty

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have concerning the size, conditions and facilities in Camp Liberty; how these compare with those at Camp Ashraf at the time of the United Kingdom's intervention in Iraq; and what representations they have made to the Government of Iraq on the issue.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) Human Rights Office and United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have confirmed that the infrastructure and facilities at Camp Liberty are in accordance with the international humanitarian standards stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Government of Iraq. Negotiations continue between the Government of Iraq and the leadership of Camp Ashraf over the logistics of the move of some residents from Camp Ashraf. The UK is unable to make a comparison of facilities at either location, since Camp Ashraf fell within the United States area of operations in 2003, and UK officials have not visited Camp Liberty. We continue to raise the issue of Camp Ashraf with the Government of Iraq and to press them to respect the human rights of the residents of Camp Ashraf. We also urge the residents and leadership of Camp Ashraf to engage constructively with the Government of Iraq and United Nations over the plan to voluntarily relocate some residents to Camp Liberty.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the decisions of the executive board of UNESCO of 19 November 2010 and 19 June 2011, what action has been taken to follow up decisions on Israeli excavations and archaeological works on the al-Aqsa mosque and in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We raise our concerns on East Jerusalem with Israel on a regular basis bilaterally and with our European Union partners. East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied territory under international law-we do not recognise Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem.
	We continue to support international calls for restraint and the avoidance of provocative actions in and around Jerusalem. Attempts by Israel to alter the character or demography of East Jerusalem are unacceptable and extremely provocative.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement of 31 October 2011 by the Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to the General Conference of UNESCO, asserting that Israel was "Judaizing" occupied East Jerusalem and attempting to change its demographic composition.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We raise our concerns on East Jerusalem with Israel on a regular basis bilaterally and with our European Union partners. East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied territory under international law-we do not recognise Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem.
	We continue to support international calls for restraint and the avoidance of provocative actions in and around Jerusalem. Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Attempts by Israel to alter the character or demography of East Jerusalem are unacceptable and extremely provocative.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of British arms sales to Israel in 2011; what is the projected value of sales in 2012; and what system is in place to monitor Israel's use of British-manufactured arms within the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: We do not hold information on actual arms sales. However, information on arms exports is published in the annual and quarterly reports on strategic export controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. military, other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. They are available to view at: https://www.exportcontroldb.berr.gov.uk/eng/fox. Currently this includes information up to 30 September 2011. Information covering 1 October to 31 December 2011 will be published in April 2012 and information covering 1 January 2012 to 31 March 2012 will be published in July 2012.
	The use of military equipment in destinations of concern is monitored by UK overseas posts, using a variety of information including local media and NGOs. Posts have standing instructions to report misuse of UK-origin defence equipment. Overseas posts are regularly asked to check the accuracy of the information contained in the end-user documentation submitted in support of the application. Should this assessment identify an unacceptable risk, the application will not be approved.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are taking action to prevent any desecration of the Mamilla Jerusalem cemetery, and to halt the construction of the Centre for Human Dignity Museum of Tolerance and the related disinterment of Muslim graves.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have made it clear to Israel on a number of occasions that demolitions of homes and other property in occupied territory are in direct contravention of Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We will continue to lobby the Israeli Government, bilaterally and with European Union partners, on the issue of demolitions and related human rights concerns. We have not taken direct action on this specific issue.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have studied the alleged use by Israeli Defence Forces of dense inert metal explosives, flechettes and phosphorus weapons in areas containing civilians in (1) southern Lebanon in 2006, and (2) the Gaza Strip in 2008-09; and, if so, what conclusions they reached and what action they propose.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are committed to upholding accountability for allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law that have arisen from conflicts in the region through full, fair and impartial investigations by the parties.
	The report by the Human Rights Council fact-finding mission on Gaza (Goldstone report) raises very serious concerns about the conduct of both Israel and Hamas during the Gaza conflict. It is vital that each of the parties involved-Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority-addresses the allegations made against them.
	The Israeli authorities carried out an investigation and reported on "The Operation in Gaza" in July 2009. This was updated in January 2010 and again in July 2010. This included investigating the use of white phosphorus munitions and flechettes.
	We will continue to raise our concerns as appropriate and follow the progress of investigations closely.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what enquiries they have made into allegations that Israeli companies are exploiting the stone resources of the West Bank, in contravention of the 4th Geneva Convention; and whether they have taken any consequent action.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We regularly raise with the Israeli authorities their obligations under international law.
	While our officials in Israel are aware of these allegations, our lobbying of the Israeli Government focuses on the most urgent issues including those which pose the greatest threat to a two-state solution, to the continuation of the peace process or to the lives of ordinary Palestinians. This specific issue has not been raised with the Israeli authorities.
	The UK continues to promote a lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a final status agreement that will ensure a just arrangement on resources.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to discuss with the Government of Israel their concerns regarding arrest, interrogation and detention of Palestinians by Israel, which have been raised by B'Tselem and UNICEF.

Lord Howell of Guildford: I can assure the noble Lord that the UK, along with European Union (EU) partners, continues regularly to raise our concerns with the Israeli Government about the application of due process and the treatment of Palestinian detainees.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), discussed the treatment of prisoners most recently with Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon on 18 January 2012, including the issue of child detainees, as well as with the Israeli ambassador to London.
	The Government of Israel have reaffirmed to us their commitment to treating prisoners in line with international human rights standards. The UK will continue to monitor the situation with regard to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and to encourage the Government of Israel to meet their stated commitments.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the European Union Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah received responses from the Government of Israel to the statement of 28 January concerning detentions of members of the Palestinian Liberation Council in 2012.

Lord Howell of Guildford: EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah, as of 21 February, have not received a response from the Government of Israel in reply to their statement on the detention of members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. We continue to monitor the situation and to raise this issue as appropriate.

Justice and Security

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the full responses, allowing for necessary redactions in the interests of national security, to the public consultation on the Green Paper on justice and security, where necessary with the consent of those who have responded.

Lord McNally: The Government intend to publish the responses to the public consultation on the Green Paper on justice and security from all those respondents who have given their consent, allowing for necessary redactions in the interests of national security and data protection. Responses are currently being published at: http://consultation.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ justiceandsecurity/responses-to-the-consultation.

Justice and Security

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 13 February (WA 129), whether they will publish a list of organisations and individuals which have responded to the public consultation on the Green Paper on justice and security, irrespective of whether the authors have given permission for the publication of the responses.

Lord McNally: The Government do intend to publish the fullest possible list of respondents to the public consultation on the Green Paper on Justice and Security. However, a small number of responses were submitted in confidence and the Government are duty bound to respect such requests. The Government will publish a summary of all responses received in due course.

Justice: Pardons

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pardons for criminal offences have been granted since 1982; what were the categories of offences for which pardons were granted; and how pardons were distributed in each category.

Lord McNally: Since 1982 there have been a total of 698 pardons granted. Details of the numbers granted each year are given below. We do not hold detailed information about the categories of offences for which pardons were granted, and this could only be collected at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 1982 84 
			 1983 143 
			 1984 60 
			 1985 98 
			 1986 28 
			 1987 41 
			 1988 39 
			 1989 50 
			 1990 51 
			 1991 37 
			 1992 19 
			 1993 22 
			 1994 12 
			 1995 12 
			 1996 1 
			 1997 to date I

Kazakhstan

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they are offering Kazakhstan on improving its business environment.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The Government encourage the Government of Kazakhstan to adopt policies that improve the business climate and which support UK investors and will continue to work with Kazakhstan towards this end. The UK supports Kazakhstan's accession to the WTO and recognises that it remains a foreign policy priority. Eventual accession should contribute to a more predictable business environment.
	UKTI also supports high level contact between UK business and the Kazakh Government. This is sustained through the Kazakh-British Trade and Industry Council (KBTIC), whose priorities include promoting good corporate governance. The last annual meeting took place in Astana in September 2011.

Khader Adnan Mohammad Musa

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the health of Mr Khader Adnan Mohammad Musa; and what representations they have made regarding the practice of administrative detention in Israel.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The condition of Mr Khader Adnan Mohammed Musa, currently on hunger strike while held in administrative detention by the Israeli authorities, remains of concern to the UK.
	Our officials in Tel Aviv discussed the issue on 16 February with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressing our concerns, as well as with the office of the Israeli National Security Adviser and the Israeli Prison Service.
	The UK supports the position of the EU, as set out in the statement by the spokesperson of the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, on 17 February 2012:
	"The High Representative is following with great concern reports about the deteriorating health condition of Khader Adnan, a Palestinian held in administrative detention in Israel and who has been on hunger strike since mid-December.
	The High Representative requests the Government of Israel to do all it can to preserve the health of Mr Adnan in its continuing handling of this case.
	The High Representative reiterates the EU's longstanding concern about the extensive use by Israel of administrative detention without formal charge. Detainees have the right to be informed about the charges underlying any detention and be subject to a fair trial."
	The UK continues to encourage the Israeli Government to comply with their obligations under international law, including in their policies on detention and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners. The UK is working closely with EU partners to consider further action as appropriate.

Lamb Inquiry: Special Educational Needs

Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all the recommendations of the December 2009 Lamb inquiry into special educational needs and parental confidence have been fully implemented.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government announced a wide ranging review of SEN and disability in September 2010 and at that time it said that the Lamb inquiry's recommendations would be considered as part of that. Support and aspiration, the Government's SEN and Disability Green Paper, published in March 2011 recognised the findings of the Lamb inquiry. The majority of the inquiry's 51 recommendations made in December 2009 have already been implemented, or have informed the proposals set out in the Green Paper. Notably, the Achievement for All programme, which has led to significant improvements in academic and other outcomes for pupils with SEN, has been expanded and is now available to any school that wants it; information for parents will be improved through our proposed local offer for families to clarify what support is available and from whom; and by 2014, children and young people aged from birth to 25 who would currently have a statement of SEN or learning difficulty assessment will have a single assessment process and education, health and care plan for their support. The Government's response to the consultation on our proposed reforms will be published shortly.

Legal Aid

Lord Newton of Braintree: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish a revised version of the anticipated savings from the Government's current legislative proposals on legal aid, taking account of the King's College London report Unintended Consequences: The Cost ofthe Government's Legal Aid Reforms, and other assessments made since those proposals were published.

Lord McNally: The impact assessments published alongside the response to consultation represent Government's best estimates as to costs and benefits on the basis of the available evidence. Government intend to publish a revised impact assessment after the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill receives Royal Assent, which will take into account any changes to the Bill following the parliamentary process. There is no intention to publish any revised impact assessment before that point.

Legal Aid

Lord Newton of Braintree: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the totals of any additional costs expected to be incurred as a result of their legislative proposals on legal aid by (1) HM Courts and Tribunal Service, (2) government departments, (3) the National Health Service, (4) local authority care services, and (5) the voluntary and charitable sector.

Lord McNally: The impact assessments published alongside the response to consultation represent Government's best estimates as to costs and benefits on the basis of the available evidence. However, these did not specify individual impacts on particular bodies. Extensive discussions were held with other government departments as part of the policy development and clearance processes, and these included systemic costs. Ultimately, costs arising will depend on behavioural responses to the changes, and these cannot be predicted accurately. The Government are committed to assessing the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill and will undertake a post-implementation review of the reforms in due course.

Maldives

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of events in the Maldives surrounding the resignation of the country's former President, Mohamed Nasheed.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), said in the other place on 9 February, we are concerned about events in Maldives (House of Commons Official Record, cols. 509-10). It is for the new leadership to establish its legitimacy with its own people and with the international community, with an independent review of the circumstances leading to the transfer of power.
	We call on the new leadership to demonstrate its respect for the rights of all political parties and their members, and to ensure that the constitution is upheld. The UK is a strong supporter of Maldives' democratic reform process and it is vital that this is preserved.

Maldives

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the actions of authorities in the Maldives following protests by supporters of the former President Mohamed Nasheed; what information they have regarding the safety and security of Mohamed Nasheed; and what action they propose to take to ensure the protection and freedom of Mohamed Nasheed and his supporters.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), said in the other place on 9 February, we are concerned about events in Maldives, in particular reports of attacks on members and supporters of the Maldivian Democratic Party (House of Commons Official Record, cols. 509-10).
	The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), has spoken to former President Nasheed on a number of occasions, most recently on 10 February, when he confirmed he was safe. We understand that he remains at liberty and has access to the media. We have called for calm from both sides and expressed clearly to current President Waheed that Nasheed and his supporters must enjoy safety and security. Our high commissioner has also raised the matter with the police commissioner and Maldivian Defence Ministry.

Maldives

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to promote democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights in the Maldives.

Lord Howell of Guildford: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to his other question, HL 15618.

Maldives

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with partners in the European Union, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations, the United States, the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation and other members of the international community regarding the political crisis in the Maldives; and what discussions they have held with Dr Farahanaz Faizal following her resignation as High Commissioner of the Republic of the Maldives to the United Kingdom in protest at events in the country.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Ministers and officials have held a number of discussions with international partners, including European Union (EU) institutions and member states, the Commonwealth Secretary-General and members of the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth member states, the United States, the United Nations and India, which is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation. An EU heads of mission delegation visited Maldives from 13-15 February and a Commonwealth ministerial action group fact-finding mission will visit shortly.
	I met with the former high commissioner to the UK on 14 February.

Maldives

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked the Commonwealth to play a role in the Maldives in the light of the challenge to the elected President; and, if so, what action they have proposed.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Since the resignation of President Nasheed on 7 February, we have discussed Maldives with the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Commonwealth Secretariat and some Commonwealth member states. The Commonwealth is playing an active role. In line with the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) reforms adopted in Perth, CMAG has discussed the situation and deployed a fact-finding mission to Maldives on 17 February.

National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence

Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many medicines have been approved to date by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence for the treatment of advanced or metastatic cancers that are specific to (1) females and (2) males.

Earl Howe: The information requested is not held by the department. I have asked the chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to write to the noble Lord with this information. A copy will be placed in the Library.

National Loan Guarantee Scheme

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider the need for, or structure of, the proposed United Kingdom National Loan Guarantee Scheme, foreshadowed in the Autumn Statement, in the light of United Kingdom banks being able to access the European Central Bank's long-term refinancing operation through sterling swaps.

Lord Sassoon: The National Loan Guarantee Scheme aims to offset tightening credit conditions for smaller firms in the UK by reducing the cost of loans. Uncertainty in the financial markets has put pressure on the cost and availability of credit, with smaller businesses being particularly affected. By contrast, the aim of the European Central Bank's long-term refinancing operations is to provide longer-term refinancing for banks located in the euro area.

National Security

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the skills, expertise and types of manufacturing capabilities which they consider must continue to be available in the United Kingdom if the policy of sovereign capabilities is discontinued.

Lord Astor of Hever: On 1 February 2012, the Government published the White Paper National Security Through Technology (CM 8278), which sets out how we will procure technology, equipment and support to meet the UK's defence and security needs. Section 3.1 emphasises how we will take action to protect the UK's operational advantage and freedom of action where this is deemed essential for our national security.

NHS: Commissioning Groups

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current estimate of the size and composition of NHS local commissioning groups.

Earl Howe: Each emerging clinical commissioning group (CCG) was recently invited by their strategic health authority cluster in November 2011 to participate in an initial risk assessment of their proposed configuration (including the likely impact of their size and their composition) in order to understand whether they are likely to meet criteria defined in the Health and Social Care Bill. We expect emerging CCGs to continue to work with their local primary care trust clusters on these arrangements in preparation for becoming statutory bodies.
	There is a large range in the size of emerging CCGs with the smallest at a population coverage of around 40,000 and the largest at just over 800,000. It is for the NHS Commissioning Board to take the final decision on appropriate configurations when authorising emerging CCGs. It is too early to give any details about the composition of NHS local commissioning groups.

NHS: Commissioning Groups

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what aspects of commissioning by NHS local commissioning groups, in addition to education and training requirements, will carry no cost to providers.

Earl Howe: We anticipate that there will be nothing comparable to the proposed levy on providers for education and training needs in the commissioning undertaken by clinical commissioning groups. Any costs incurred by providers (such as transactional or administrative costs) will be covered by the contract price paid by commissioners.

NHS: Commissioning Outcomes Framework

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the consultation on the Commissioning Outcomes Framework, run by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, is open for four weeks, in the light of the statement in their Code of Practice on Consultation that consultations should normally last for at least 12 weeks with consideration given to longer timescales where feasible and sensible.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government why the potential indicators listed in Appendix 3 of the Commissioning Outcomes Framework consultation will not be ready for implementation in April 2013.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government why the consultation on the Commissioning Outcomes Framework is divided into indicators for the first iteration and potential indicators for future revisions.

Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop recommendations for robust indicators for the Commissioning Outcomes Framework (COF) to measure the quality and outcomes of services commissioned by clinical commissioning groups. Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, it will be for the NHS Commissioning Board to consider NICE's recommendations and make decisions on the indicators that will be used in the COF. The consultation period that NICE has set at four weeks is in line with public consultations on other NICE work programmes such as the Quality and Outcomes Framework and Quality Standards.
	The consultation on potential indicators invites stakeholders to comment on the full list of indicators identified. The first set of potential indicators listed in the consultation document are those which, following review of the evidence by its independent advisory committee, will be ready for final publication by NICE in August 2012. The second set of potential indicators listed in Appendix 3 of the consultation document will require further development and testing by NICE and the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care. Due to the length of time involved and the potential requirement to undertake further development and testing, these indicators will not be available for use by the NHS Commissioning Board until after April 2013.

NHS: Non-Foundation Trusts

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty's Government which appointments of chief executives to non-foundation trusts in the National Health Service have been made outside the normal process for appointments.

Earl Howe: The Department is not routinely involved with the appointment of chief executives to National Health Service trusts. However, NHS trust chairs are expected to consult and involve the strategic health authority chief executive at all stages of the recruitment, selection and appointment process when appointing a new chief executive.

NHS: Non-Foundation Trusts

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty's Government which non-foundation trusts in the National Health Service have seen a new chief executive appointed in the past year.

Earl Howe: The department does not retain appointment dates for chief executives in National Health Service organisations. However, after a new chief executive is appointed to an NHS trust (excluding NHS foundation trusts), the department sends an accountable officer memorandum to the chief executive.
	The following table sets out those NHS trusts to which an Accountable Officer memorandum has been issued within the last 12 months.
	
		
			 Accountable Officer memoranda issued to NHS Trusts, March 2011-February 2012 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 
			 Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Derbyshire Community Health Service NHS Trust 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust1 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust2 
			 George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust 
			 Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust 
			 Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust 
			 Kent Community Health NHS Trust 
			 Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust 
			 Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 
			 Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust 
			 North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 
			 Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS trust 
			 Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust 
			 Shropshire Community Health Services NHS Trust 
			 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust 
			 Sussex Community NHS Trust 
			 The Whittington Hospital 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Wirral Community NHS Trust 
			 Wye Valley NHS Trust 
		
	
	1 Two Accountable Officer memoranda were issued to Ealing Hospital NHS Trust-the first marked an interim appointment to cover a period of leave while the second marked the return of the substantive chief executive.
	2 Two Accountable Officer memoranda were issued to East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust-the first marked an interim appointment while the second marked the appointment of a new substantive chief executive.

NHS: Overseas Students

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures officials of the Department of Health, the Home Office, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are considering for increasing from two years the arrangements for in-house NHS training in the United Kingdom of graduate medical students from (1) countries in the Middle East generally, and (2) Saudi Arabia.

Earl Howe: The Department of Health carried out an assessment of the capacity of the medical training system in England to allow graduate medical trainees (not medical students) from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to undertake their specialist training in England without prejudicing any career opportunities for EEA residents. We are aware that many countries outside of the EEA wish their graduate medics to be trained in the United Kingdom; the limiting factor is the number of training places that the system can accommodate.
	The Department of Health and the Home Office are in discussions about the possibility of visas to cover specialist training. The focus of these discussions has been the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) only. If any arrangements are made it will be on the understanding that all training and living costs would be borne by the originating country and the visas would only apply for the duration of the specialist training.
	We believe that international demand for training places in the UK will exceed supply and the sustainable delivery of specialist training to UK standards will involve developing and delivering training programmes abroad.
	There are sound economic and financial reasons for developing visa routes for KSA postgraduate medical trainees, including potential partnerships with KSA on the redevelopment of its healthcare system. There is also evidence that the location of training influences future behaviour, in particular procurement of technology and training that would benefit the UK in the longer term.

NHS: Primary Care Trusts

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the ideal number of sustainable primary care trust groups in existence on the day before local commissioning groups become legally active.

Earl Howe: There are currently 50 primary care trust (PCT) clusters across the National Health Service in England. The local NHS determined the appropriate cluster geographies to ensure they could maintain management capacity and performance during the transition. These geographies were signed off by the department.
	The Government are not aware of any need to further cluster PCTs together before PCTs are abolished in 2013, subject to parliamentary approval.

NHS: Summary Care Records

Baroness Knight of Collingtree: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total cost of the NHS summary care records system.

Earl Howe: A total of £109.1 million has been spent on the development of the summary care record between financial years 2004-05 to 2010-11. The forecast of the central costs for the current financial year is estimated at £2.9 million. This includes: the cost of the initial design; the summary care record proportion of the development of the National Health Service national spine; the ongoing maintenance of the central infrastructure to support the record; the central implementation costs for the public information campaign of writing to every registered patient in England; and central implementation support activities to introduce the summary care record to the NHS in England.
	Costs incurred by the NHS in local implementation of the summary care record are not collected centrally.

Northern Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 1 February (Official Report, col. 1565), what active steps they are taking as a guarantor power to ensure that the Turkish Cypriot community in Northern Cyprus receives international recognition and has full access to the human rights defined by the European Convention on Human Rights as soon as possible; and what date is their target for that outcome to be achieved.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government's long-standing position is to oppose any partition of Cyprus. United Nations (UN) Resolution 541 explicitly forbids recognition of the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This is why the UK remains committed to the UN-led settlement process, which seeks to end the continued division of the island and will ultimately enable the Turkish Cypriot community to benefit from European Union membership.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Northern Ireland Office or nominated by the Northern Ireland Office or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of any correspondence between the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission during January 2012.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The following letters between the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) during January 2012 will be placed in the Library of the House:
	Letter received on 5 January, but dated 23 December 2011, from NIHRC Chief Commissioner to Secretary of State;
	Letter dated 30 January 2012 from Secretary of State to NIHRC Chief Commissioner;
	Letter dated 30 January 2012 from NIHRC Chief Commissioner to Secretary of State.

Northern Ireland: Referendum

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering holding a referendum on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland; what was the question asked in the previous referendum; and whether such a poll would require advance agreement from the people of the Republic of Ireland that they would accept Northern Ireland in the event of a majority in Northern Ireland voting to leave the United Kingdom.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There are no plans to hold a poll on the status of Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
	Following the Northern Ireland Border Poll Act 1972 a poll was held on 8 March 1973. Voters were asked:
	do you want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom? ordo you want Northern Ireland to be joined with the Republic of Ireland, outside the United Kingdom?
	The circumstances under which a poll in Northern Ireland on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland may be held are set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Overseas Aid

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each year from 1997 up until the last year for which records are available, which organisations have been the recipients of Department for International Development multilateral assistance funding; and how much those organisations received in each of those years.

Baroness Rawlings: The Department for International Development (DFID) publishes details of funding to multilateral organisations in Statistics on International Development. This can be found at the following link: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-propress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2011/.
	The most recent publication provides data for 2006-07 to 2010-11. Earlier publications are available through the publications section of the DfID website (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/What-we-do/Publications/) and in hard copy in the House of Commons Library.

Overseas Aid

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries were the largest recipients of Department for International Development aid, excluding humanitarian assistance, for each year from 1997; and how much each of those countries received in each of those years.

Baroness Rawlings: The Department for International Development publishes annual expenditure statistics showing how UK financial resources for international development are spent, including support provided to recipient countries. Given that this information is not available from the one source, and that electronic information is only available back to financial year 2002/03, the following table has been included below to highlight the largest recipients of DfID bilateral aid, excluding humanitarian assistance, for each year from 1997/98 to 2010/11.
	Top twenty recipients DfID bilateral aid, excluding humanitarian assistance, 1997/98 to 2010/11
	
		
			  1997/98  1998/99  1999/00  2000/01  
			 Rank Country £m Country £m Country £m Country £m 
			 1 India 80 India 89 India 98 India 98 
			 2 Uganda 47 Ghana 53 Uganda 81 Uganda 86 
			 3 Tanzania 41 Uganda 52 Bangladesh 65 Ghana 73 
			 4 Bangladesh 39 Bangladesh 52 Tanzania 63 Bangladesh 69 
			 5 China 38 Tanzania 46 Ghana 48 Tanzania 67 
			 6 Russian Federation 33 Malawi 44 Malawi 46 Malawi 57 
			 7 Kenya 28 China 39 Mozambique 32 Zambia 56 
			 8 Pakistan 28 Russian Federation 30 Sierra Leone 30 Kenya 40 
			 9 Indonesia 27 South Africa 29 South Africa 29 Rwanda 33 
			 10 Montserrat 26 Kenya 29 China 26 Mozambique 32 
			 11 South Africa 26 Mozambique 26 Kenya 25 Sierra Leone 32 
			 12 Ghana 25 Indonesia 25 Russian Federation 24 South Africa 30 
			 13 Malawi 24 Pakistan 23 Pakistan 22 China 30 
			 14 Mozambique 21 Montserrat 23 Indonesia 20 Russian Federation 21 
			 15 Nepal 17 Zimbabwe 16 Montserrat 17 Indonesia 20 
			 16 Zambia 16 Nepal 16 Nepal 15 Montserrat 19 
			 17 Poland 13 Zambia 15 Nigeria 15 Nepal 18 
			 18 Zimbabwe 12 Rwanda 13 Zambia 14 Nigeria 17 
			 19 Nigeria 9 Nigeria 11 Zimbabwe 14 Guyana 14 
			 20 Ukraine 9 Jamaica 10 Rwanda 13 Pakistan 14 
			 Total  559  641  697  826 
		
	
	
		
			  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  
			 Rank Country £m Country £m Country £m Country £m 
			 1 India 178 India 150 India 197 India 257 
			 2 Uganda 68 Tanzania 95 Iraq 99 Bangladesh 103 
			 3 Tanzania 65 Bangladesh 73 Tanzania 79 Tanzania 94 
			 4 Bangladesh 60 Ghana 55 Afghanistan 69 Afghanistan 73 
			 5 Ghana 55 Uganda 51 Ghana 68 Ghana 72 
			 6 Malawi 46 Kenya 43 Pakistan 66 Ethiopia 56 
			 7 Zambia 45 Malawi 42 Bangladesh 55 Malawi 52 
			 8 Pakistan 43 China 41 Malawi 54 Uganda 50 
			 9 Mozambique 40 Pakistan 38 Uganda 48 Mozambique 48 
			 10 China 33 Mozambique 37 South Africa 42 Nigeria 46 
			 11 Sierra Leone 32 South Africa 36 Mozambique 36 Rwanda 42 
			 12 Rwanda 27 Zambia 34 Sierra Leone 33 Vietnam 40 
			 13 South Africa 25 Rwanda 32 China 32 China 36 
			 14 Kenya 24 Afghanistan 30 Nigeria 31 Pakistan 31 
			 15 Montserrat 23 Nigeria 29 Nepal 29 South Africa 31 
			 16 Russian Federation 23 Sierra Leone 28 Rwanda 27 Zambia 30 
			 17 Nepal 21 Nepal 27 Zambia 26 Nepal 30 
			 18 Nigeria 21 Russian Federation 24 Kenya 25 Kenya 30 
			 19 Indonesia 16 Montserrat 23 Ethiopia 25 Iraq 28 
			 20 Vietnam 16 Vietnam 19 Montserrat 24 Sierra Leone 26 
			 Total  861  907  1065  1175 
		
	
	
		
			  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09  
			 Rank Country £m Country £m Country £m Country £m 
			 1 India 249 India 232 India 274 India 297 
			 2 Bangladesh 123 Tanzania 112 Ethiopia 135 Tanzania 132 
			 3 Tanzania 112 Bangladesh 109 Tanzania 122 Ethiopia 132 
			 4 Afghanistan 95 Afghanistan 97 Bangladesh 116 Afghanistan 128 
			 5 Ghana 95 Ethiopia 89 Afghanistan 101 Bangladesh 126 
			 6 Iraq 82 Pakistan 85 Ghana 92 Nigeria 110 
			 7 Nigeria 77 Ghana 82 Nigeria 84 Pakistan 109 
			 8 Rwanda 70 Nigeria 81 Pakistan 79 Ghana 98 
			 9 Malawi 66 Zambia 61 Malawi 68 Kenya 87 
			 10 Pakistan 59 Malawi 61 Mozambique 67 Malawi 77 
			 11 Vietnam 57 Uganda 60 Uganda 55 Rwanda 70 
			 12 Mozambique 56 Mozambique 56 Sierra Leone 54 Mozambique 64 
			 13 Ethiopia 53 Vietnam 52 Nepal 54 Congo (Dem Rep) 61 
			 14 Uganda 51 Kenya 52 Rwanda 52 Uganda 55 
			 15 Kenya 46 Indonesia 42 Vietnam 51 Vietnam 55 
			 16 Zambia 43 Nepal 40 West Bank and Gaza 45 Sudan 53 
			 17 Indonesia 37 Iraq 39 Sudan 43 Nepal 52 
			 18 China 35 China 39 Zambia 40 Sierra Leone 46 
			 19 Sierra Leone 34 Sierra Leone 38 Kenya 40 Zambia 43 
			 20 Nepal 32 Sudan 26 China 39 South Africa 40 
			 Total  1,472  1,453  1,611  1,834 
		
	
	
		
			  2009/10  2010/11  
			 Rank Country £m Country £m 
			 1 India 295 India 279 
			 2 Ethiopia 151 Ethiopia 245 
			 3 Bangladesh 148 Bangladesh 171 
			 4 Tanzania 135 Tanzania 144 
			 5 Afghanistan 126 Nigeria 142 
			 6 Nigeria 113 Pakistan 120 
			 7 Pakistan 111 Afghanistan 97 
			 8 Ghana 90 Uganda 94 
			 9 Sudan 87 Mozambique 94 
			 10 Malawi 73 Rwanda 90 
			 11 Congo (Dem Rep) 68 Ghana 87 
			 12 Mozambique 68 Congo (Dem Rep) 86 
			 13 Nepal 61 Malawi 70 
			 14 Uganda 60 Zimbabwe 66 
			 15 Vietnam 54 Kenya 64 
			 16 Rwanda 53 Nepal 62 
			 17 Kenya 51 Vietnam 55 
			 18 Zambia 49 Zambia 52 
			 19 Zimbabwe 48 Sierra Leone 51 
			 20 Sierra Leone 44 Sudan 45 
			 Total  1,884  2,113

Pakistan

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations from Pakistan about the use by the United States of remotely controlled weapons on Pakistan; and, if so, what was their response.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have regular discussions with the Government of Pakistan about shared security challenges and our response. Pakistan remains a critical partner in the fight against terrorism. The Government remain fully committed to working in partnership with Pakistan to tackle terrorism and violent extremism that threaten both our interests, including through the enhanced strategic dialogue and mechanisms such as the joint working group on counterterrorism.
	Drone strikes are a matter for the United States and Pakistan, which are facing a shared and dangerous threat from terrorists.

Pensions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Hanham on 9 February (WS 50-3), by which prices index they propose to increase both firefighters' pensions in payment and deferred benefits yet to commence, which public sector schemes will continue to have benefits revalued by the consumer prices index, and what are the estimated short, medium and long term net savings resulting from the changes to the firefighters' pension scheme.

Baroness Hanham: The Written Statement made on 9 February set out that both pensions in payment and deferred benefits in the proposed Firefighters' Pension Scheme, to come into force from 2015, would continue to be up-rated in line with Prices Index.
	The Government announced in the June 2010 Budget that their policy was to use the consumer prices index instead of the retail prices index as their preferred measure of prices. This means that the consumer prices index would be used to uprate many tax credits, benefits and pensions, including public service pensions. This change applies to public service pensions through the statutory link to the indexation of the additional pensions in long-term benefits. This link has been in place since 1979.
	On 7 February 2012, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced in a Written Ministerial Statement, Official Report, col. 9WS, that public service pensions will be increased by 5.2 per cent from 9 April 2012, the September 2011 measure of the consumer prices index. This increase will apply to the pensions in payment in the firefighters' pension scheme 1992 and the new firefighters' pension schemes 2006, except for those that have been in payment for less than a year, which will receive a pro-rata increase. It will also apply to deferred benefits not yet in payment.
	No estimate has been made of the savings from changing from the retail prices index to the consumer prices index for the firefighters' pension schemes. However, on 14 November 2011, Official Report, col. 643W, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury set out the estimated net expenditure on public service pensions from 2010-11 to 2015-16, with and without the announced policy changes to uprating and employee pension contributions.

People Trafficking

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Henley on 15 February (HL Deb, col. 848) undertaking to invite the Children's Commissioner for England to review the care provision for rescued trafficked children and advise the Government about any changes that should be made, when the Department for Education will make that request; and what is the anticipated timetable for the production of the resulting report.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Officials are in discussion with the Office of the Children's Commissioner. The commissioner, who is independent of government, is considering the request.

Police: Tasers

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tasers could be exported to police services of the Crown dependencies and British Overseas Territories under the terms of the new licence for the export of tasers.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: My right honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Alistair Burt) set out UK policy on the export of tasers in his Written Ministerial Statement of 9 February 2012.
	Licence applications for the export of tasers to the police forces of the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories will be assessed against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant factors, including the recommendations of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the operational needs of the police forces concerned.
	I cannot say how many tasers could be exported as this is dependent on the number of export licence applications that are received and our subsequent decision on those applications.

Political Lobbyists

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received on whether companies which lobby government should identify their clients.

Lord McNally: The Government published initial proposals on establishing a statutory register of lobbyists in a consultation document on 20 January 2012. Following the end of the consultation period on 13 April, the Government will carefully consider all representations received and publish their response to the consultation. It would not be appropriate to comment on representations received to date in advance of this.

Prisoners: Financial Services

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to assist credit unions in building partnerships with justice agencies to help prisoners gain access to basic financial services on release.

Lord McNally: The National Offender Management Service has commissioned research to find the best way to enable offenders to access community financial services through the development of partnerships between credit unions and justice agencies in England & Wales. A policy report and practice guidance will be published in May 2012.

Prisoners: Voting

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 7 February (WA 53) and the deposited paper DEP2012-0247 of 6 February, whether they will ascertain from the relevant HM Ambassadors what the actual arrangements in Albania and the Ukraine are for convicted prisoners in prison to vote.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Prisoners in Albania can vote in local government and national assembly elections. The President is not elected by public vote.
	Prisoners in Ukraine can vote in presidential and parliamentary elections. They are not considered to be part of a locality, so do not vote in local elections.
	In both countries, votes are cast at a polling station set up inside the prison. There is no postal voting.

Prisons: Young Offenders

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many 18 to 20 year-olds were accommodated in adult prisons at the latest date for which information is available.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government which adult prisons were accommodating 18 to 20 year-olds at the latest date for which information is available.

Lord McNally: Save in exceptional circumstances, a young adult between the age of 18 and 20 must serve any custodial sentence imposed on them in a young offender institution (YOI) and by virtue of this such offenders must be detained in a YOI. However, an individual of the same age who is being remanded in custody prior to sentence must be remanded in a prison.
	All remand and sentenced offenders aged between 18 and 20 are held in appropriately designated accommodation within the custodial estate. Whatever the location, young adults have separate sleeping accommodation to older adults and are always managed in accordance with the YOI rules.
	On 3 February 2012, 3,510 18 to 20 year-olds were accommodated in the following predominantly adult establishments:
	
		
			 Male establishments: 
			 Altcourse 
			 Bedford 
			 Belmarsh 
			 Bristol 
			 Cardiff 
			 Chelmsford 
			 Doncaster 
			 Dorchester 
			 Durham 
			 Elmley 
			 Exeter 
			 Forest Bank 
			 Gloucester 
			 Hatfield 
			 High Down 
			 Hollesley Bay 
			 Holme House 
			 Hull 
			 Lewes 
			 Lincoln 
			 Littlehey 
			 Moorland 
			 Northallerton 
			 Norwich 
			 Nottingham 
			 Parc 
			 Peterborough 
			 Preston 
			 Stoke Heath 
			 Swansea 
			 Swinfen Hall 
			 Thorn Cross 
			 Woodhill 
		
	
	
		
			 Female establishments: 
			 Askham Grange 
			 Bronzefield 
			 Downview 
			 Drake Hall 
			 East Sutton Park 
			 Eastwood Park 
			 Foston Hall 
			 Holloway 
			 Low Newton 
			 New Hall 
			 Peterborough (Female) 
			 Styal 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Young Offenders

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the annual unit cost of housing 18 to 20 year-olds in young offender institutions (YOIs) for each of the last five years for which information is available, in both cash and real terms; and how this compares with the cost of housing 15 to 17 year-olds in YOIs in the same period.

Lord McNally: The following tables show the estimated average cost per prisoner at young offender institutions (YOI) categorised as (a) young adult YOI and (b) under 18 YOI.
	
		
			  Overall cost per Prisoner  
			  Actual Cost Real Terms 
			  £ £ 
			 Young Adult YOI   
			 2010-11 45,419 45,419 
			 2009-10 48,629 49,946 
			 2008-09 49,801 52,069 
			 2007-08 48,097 51,798 
			 Under 18 YOI   
			 2010-11 80,042 80,042 
			 2009-10 79,551 81,706 
			 2008-09 67,509 70,583 
			 2007-08 55,831 60,127 
		
	
	An overall cost is available only from 2007-08. Prior to this, only direct costs, i.e. those met at establishment level, have been calculated. Real-terms figures have been calculated using HM Treasury's GDP deflators, to bring them to a 2010-11 common base.
	The establishments included in the answer are those which are categorised in the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts and NOMS Statistical Addendum for each year as either Young Adult YOI (18-20 years of age inclusive) or Under 18 YOI (15-17 years of age inclusive). Establishments are categorised by their main role.
	Establishments that have more than one role are placed in the category that represents the primary or dominant function of the prison, so the costs shown may include some prisoners of a different age group.
	The average costs are taken from the individual establishments' overall costs which for 2009-10 and 2010-11 were published on the NOMS website in the statistical addendum to the NOMS annual report and accounts.
	Possible changes in scope and accounting treatment over the period might mean the figures are not directly comparable. For example, from 2010-11 the cost of capital charge no longer applies.
	To note within the table:
	1. The overall average costs comprise the direct local establishment costs of public and private prisons, increased by an apportionment of relevant costs borne centrally and in the Regions by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). This involves some estimation. Expenditure which is met by other government departments or directly by the Youth Justice Board, such as expenditure on health and education, is not included. Expenditure recharged to the Youth Justice Board in respect of young people is included.
	2. The Young Adult Y01 average cost includes an Open YOI.
	3. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Public Sector: Bonuses

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many bonus schemes are currently in operation for senior executives in the public sector.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Departments and agencies are responsible for determining non-consolidated performance-related pay (NCPRP) for their senior civil servants within a framework set by the Cabinet Office. Since May 2010, NCPRP for senior civil servants has been cut back. This has been achieved by reducing the number of people who receive awards from 65 per cent to 25 per cent of senior civil servants, so that only those who have given exceptional performance over the year are rewarded. This has delivered savings of around £15 million. Further information, including total spend and the number of NCPRP awards made by each department and agency for the performance year 2010-11, was published on departmental websites and linked to data.gov.uk in October 2011. Information on the number of schemes in the wider public sector is not held centrally.

Railways: Freight

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will approve the first strategic rail freight interchange at Radlett, Hertfordshire, in the light of the joint Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Transport on 29 November 2011 (WS 13-4) supporting such interchanges.

Baroness Hanham: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has not yet reached a decision on this planning appeal. In making that decision, he will take account of the joint Written Statement along with all other material planning considerations.

Railways: Information Notices

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to encourage the display of information in languages other than English or Welsh on overground and underground railway systems throughout the United Kingdom.

Earl Attlee: Whether to provide information in languages other than English or Welsh is a matter for train and station operators.
	Pan-European accessibility standards for overground rail services mandate the use of pictograms in certain circumstances, which would assist passengers for whom English or Welsh is not their first language, as well as people with learning disabilities.
	The same standards require audio-visual systems on trains to be capable of giving information in more than one language, should the operator choose to do so.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to end overcrowding on trains on the Chester-Holyhead line.

Earl Attlee: Passengers on the west coast main line will benefit from 106 extra Pendolino carriages, which will provide 7,420 extra seats. These carriages will produce four new 11-car Pendolino trains and lengthen 31 existing Pendolino trains by two carriages. These are set to come into full service by December 2012.
	The addition of the new trains and extra carriages to the existing fleet will provide more flexibility to enable the train operator to allocate the rolling stock (such as the diesel Voyager rolling stock which operates between Chester and Holyhead) in their fleet in order to best meet demand.

Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains or maintained a Religious Freedom Panel; if so, whether it still meets; and, if not, why not.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not currently maintain a Religious Freedom Panel. The panel's role was embraced in the Foreign Secretary's Advisory Group on Human Rights in 2010. The members of this group were chosen because of their ability to contribute to discussions across the range of human rights issues and many of the group's members are familiar with freedom of religion issues, which continue to be a central concern. In its report on the FCO's human rights work 2010-11, the Foreign Affairs Committee commented that the Advisory Group on Human Rights was a "significant advance on the FCO's Religion Freedom Panel of old".

Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they regularly assess the state of religious freedoms worldwide; and, if so, whether their findings are available in a collected form.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Protecting religious freedoms and preventing discrimination on religious grounds is a key human rights issue for the Government. All of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Embassies and High Commissions have a responsibility regularly to monitor and to raise human rights violations and attacks on religious freedoms where these occur in their host countries. Ministers and FCO staff raise our concerns with host Governments and where possible take action on individual cases and lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws.
	In addition, the FCO produces an annual Human Rights Report which has a section on freedom of religion or belief. The entry for each "country of concern" in the Human Rights Report includes a section on freedom of religion or belief in that country. Updates are published online on a quarterly basis.

Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Non-Muslims are not permitted to worship openly or establish places of worship in Saudi Arabia as the authorities take the view that this is contrary to Sharia law in the Land of the Two Holy Mosques. The Saudi authorities maintain that all forms of Islam are permitted to worship in Saudi Arabia. However, for the Shia community, civic and religious freedoms, such as the building of mosques, are restricted.
	We support the right to freedom of religion or belief. We make our views known through the United Nations Universal Periodic Review Process, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's annual human rights report and directly with Saudi human rights organisations and the Saudi Arabian Government. The UK will continue to press for greater, more open religious freedom.

Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of religious freedom in Bahrain.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Article 22 of the 2002 Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain guarantees the inviolability of worship and states that freedom of conscience is absolute. This guarantees its citizens the freedom to perform religious rites and hold religious parades and meetings. Bahrain therefore permits many communities freedom to practice their respective religions without interference and display symbols of their religion. This includes followers of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism and the Baha'i Faith.

Roads: Gritting

The Earl of Courtown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance the Department for Communities and Local Government offered to local councils regarding the spreading of grit during this winter's cold weather; and whether they consider that the grit was used effectively in the past month.

Baroness Hanham: The treatment of local roads is entirely the responsibility of local highway authorities. It is, however, important that authorities use their salt stocks wisely and effectively. The Department for Transport, in liaison with the UK Roads Liaison Group and UK Roads Board, published guidance on salt spread rates in December 2010. This has recently been published alongside the consolidation of other guidance on winter service within Well Maintained Highways, so local highway authorities have the most current information on winter best practice in one easy place. This guidance is available at the following weblink: http://www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org/en/guidance/winter-service-guidance.cfm.
	From a survey the Department for Transport undertook last year, two-thirds of local authorities indicated they have taken steps to implement the December 2010 salt spread rate guidance.
	The Local Government Association annual Winter Readiness Survey, published on 3 December 2011, shows that local authorities across England have invested in new fleets of gritting trucks, snow ploughs and specialist vehicles and are getting better value for money for council tax payers. Councils are in a stronger position this year because of the efficiency savings they have made, including buying grit much earlier in the year and striking better deals with suppliers.

Russia

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Russia on the issue of arms sales to the Government of Sudan.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are concerned by reports that the Government of Sudan may have transferred Russian-made equipment to Darfur in violation of the UN arms embargo. We have raised these concerns in the Sudan Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council.

Schools: Absent Children

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances schools must report to their local authority that a child is missing from education.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 set out the circumstances where a school must inform the local authority in which it is situated that a pupil is missing education. The circumstances include a pupil being: deleted from the school register; regularly absent; or "disappearing" following 10 days of unauthorised absence from the school. Notifying the local authority is important because it enables the authority to attempt to trace the child and ensure that any pupil who is no longer on a school roll is receiving a suitable education elsewhere. These regulations apply to all maintained schools, academies and independent schools.
	Local authorities in England and Wales also have a statutory duty to put in place effective arrangements to identify those children of compulsory school age who are not on a school roll, and who are not receiving a suitable education elsewhere (for example, being educated at home, privately educated, or in alternative provision).

Schools: EU Citizenship

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how, in the context of the new European Union initiatives on citizenship, they intend to expand the concept of European citizenship in the national curriculum; whether they will they help schools to explain the workings of the European Union institutions; and whether they will promote the advantages of "mutual recognition" as against European integration.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We are undertaking a review of all the current national curriculum subjects. It is our intention that the national curriculum is slimmed down so that it properly reflects the body of essential knowledge in key subjects. We want to give schools greater freedom to plan and set their curricula, using their professional expertise so that they can better meet the needs of their pupils. While English, mathematics, science and physical education will remain compulsory throughout all four key stages, we are still considering which other subjects, including citizenship, should remain part of the compulsory curriculum. We will consult on the proposals before final decisions are made.
	Schools are required to present political topics in a balanced way in their teaching. This is to enable pupils to acquire the necessary knowledge and to develop their own views. We are confident that schools take very seriously their responsibility to present political issues in a balanced and unbiased way.

Schools: Grammar Schools

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether existing grammar schools can (1) take over failing schools, and (2) merge with existing schools; and, if so, whether they can retain their selective entrance criteria.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Grammar schools, whether maintained or academy convertors, can retain their selective admissions criteria in any proposed merger, but that process cannot be used to establish an entirely new selective school.
	We believe that where a school is failing, the best way of providing quick and sustainable improvement is for the school to become an academy with a strong, supportive sponsor. A suitable selective school whether a maintained grammar school or an academy, can act as a sponsor. The selective school would retain its admissions criteria, but these could not be extended to any school they sponsor as the school remains a separate legal entity.

Schools: Profit-making

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hill of Oareford on 8 February (WA 79), whether they are reviewing the policy that state-funded schools cannot be profit-making.

Lord Hill of Oareford: No.

Schools: Sixth Forms

Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many maintained comprehensive and secondary modern schools have sixth forms; and how many do not.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The following table shows the number of maintained comprehensive and secondary modern schools which have a sixth form, and how many do not.
	
		
			  Sixth Form Status   
			 Admissions Policy Does not have a sixth form Has a sixth form Grand Total 
			 Comprehensive 792 975 1767 
			 Modern 33 54 87 
			 Grand Total 825 1029 1854 
		
	
	Source: EduBase2
	1. The data has been sourced from EduBase2 (the department's database of educational establishments) and is based on information that has been reported to the department and which is subject to change over time.
	2. Establishments are subject to change due to amendments to statutory instrument.

Schools: Sixth Forms

Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many academies have sixth forms; and how many do not.

Lord Hill of Oareford: There were 1,580 academies open as at 1 February 2012; of these, 901 academies have post-16 provision and 679 academies do not.

Schools: State Schools and Academies

Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government under what statutes or regulations state schools and academies are prevented from recruiting, and charging fees to, pupils from (1) other countries in the European Union, and (2) countries outside the European Union.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Section 450 of the Education Act 1996 states that no charge shall be made in respect of admission to a maintained school. Academies must abide by this Act by virtue of their funding agreement. Section 450 does not apply for the purpose of: (a) part-time education suitable to the requirements of persons over compulsory school age; (b) full-time education suitable to the requirements of persons who have attained the age of 19; or (c) teacher training. State-maintained boarding schools can charge for boarding and can admit European Economic Area (EEA) nationals, but not children from outside the EEA. Under Section 458 of the Education Act 1996, state-maintained boarding schools cannot charge for more than the cost of the boarding. Only independent schools can admit and charge fees to children who are not EEA nationals.
	The School Admissions Code requires admission authorities to treat applications for children coming from overseas in accordance with European Union law. The provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 govern the right of admission to the United Kingdom (UK). Where these provisions are satisfied, nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA) and their children of any age, who come to the UK lawfully to work or for certain other economic purposes, have a right to reside in the UK and enjoy the same rights to education as British citizens. This also applies to unaccompanied EEA national children who come to study in the UK. Non-EEA children unaccompanied by their parents do not have this right, but can apply on their own for leave to enter or remain in the UK to study at independent fee-paying schools. They must satisfy requirements at paragraph 245ZZ of the Immigration Rules, which can be viewed at: http://www.ukba. homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/immigrationlaw/immigrationrules/part6a/.

Serbia

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they voted in favour of the three conditions prescribed for Serbia to obtain European Union candidate status.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The December European Council set out clear conditions concerning Kosovo that Serbia should meet in order to achieve European Union candidate status. This conditionality was agreed by all 27 member states. The 28 February European Union General Affairs Council will review progress made in meeting this conditionality.

Shipping: Fleet Ready Escorts

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any vessels were available to the Royal Navy for escorting the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov through United Kingdom waters other than HMS "Liverpool"; and whether HMS "Liverpool" was in the area in order to be decommissioned.

Lord Astor of Hever: The fleet ready escort (FRE) is a designated ship, maintained at high readiness, to provide contingent capability in UK home waters. HMS "Liverpool" is currently the designated vessel for this task. If there is another unit closer to the area of concern or interest, and if it is appropriate, that unit could be reprioritised to be used for FRE tasking. Royal Navy vessels deployed overseas are engaged in specific tasking and operations and are therefore not available for activation as the FRE in UK home waters.
	HMS "Liverpool" is due to be de-commissioned at the end of March 2012 after which another vessel is due to be designated the FRE.

Somalia

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the political aims of the forthcoming London Somalia conference.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), told the other place on 9 February (House of Commons, Official Report, col. 515-16), we hope that the conference will agree practical measures in seven key areas:
	on the political track, the current transitional institutions in Mogadishu run out in August. They must not be extended. The Somali political process must become broader and more representative. That might involve a constitutional assembly drawn from all of Somalia's communities;on security, African Union forces have pushed al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu to create political space there, and Kenyan action has put al-Shabaab on the back foot. However, African forces have insufficient funding for United Nations Security Council-mandated actions. We therefore hope that the conference will consider how funding can be made sustainable for African troops willing to put their lives on the line;the success stories in Somalia are in the regions. Puntland and Galmudug have established local peace deals and set up Administrations. The conference should agree a co-ordinated international package of support to Somalia's regions that complements work on peace and stability at the national level;piracy off the Somali coast is an affront to the rule of international law. We must break the piracy business cycle. We hope the conference will strengthen arrangements to catch, try and imprison pirates, and continue to develop regional maritime capacity in Somalia and across the region; we hope the conference will agree the areas we need to develop to disrupt terrorism across the region, including stopping the movement of terrorists to and from Somalia, disrupting the flow of their finances and supporting the Somali criminal justice sector so that it can detain and prosecute terrorists in a human rights-compliant manner;on the humanitarian front, the conference provides an opportunity to highlight the need for donors to continue to respond generously and on the basis of needs, to invest more in livelihoods and basic social services, to increase the resilience of households in Somalia to future economic shocks and to help reduce the likelihood of future famines; andwe want the conference to agree on how we handle Somali issues in future, on a revitalised international contact group, on United Nations and African leadership and on more countries deploying diplomats and staff into Somalia, not just basing themselves in Kenya, as many, including ourselves, have had to do in recent years. Which countries lead on which of the follow up actions will be an important part of discussions on this point. We are still to discuss these mechanisms with our partners and final arrangements will not be known until after the conference.

Somalia

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they hope to achieve at the forthcoming London Somalia conference in terms of priority follow-up actions; and which countries will be tasked with leading on those follow-up actions.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) told the other place on 9 February (House of Commons, Official Report, col. 515-16), we hope that the conference will agree practical measures in seven key areas:
	on the political track, the current transitional institutions in Mogadishu run out in August. They must not be extended. The Somali political process must become broader and more representative. That might involve a constitutional assembly drawn from all of Somalia's communities;on security, African Union forces have pushed al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu to create political space there and Kenyan action has put al-Shabaab on the back foot. However, African forces have insufficient funding for United Nations Security Council-mandated actions. We therefore hope that the conference will consider how funding can be made sustainable for African troops willing to put their lives on the line;the success stories in Somalia are in the regions. Puntland and Galmudug have established local peace deals and set up administrations. The conference should agree a co-ordinated international package of support to Somalia's regions that complements work on peace and stability at the national level;piracy off the Somali coast is the affront to the rule of international law that I described. We must break the piracy business cycle. We hope the conference will strengthen arrangements to catch, try and imprison pirates, and continue to develop regional maritime capacity in Somalia and across the region;we hope the conference will agree the areas we need to develop to disrupt terrorism across the region, including stopping the movement of terrorists to and from Somalia, disrupting the flow of their finances and supporting the Somali criminal justice sector so that it can detain and prosecute terrorists in a human rights-compliant manner;on the humanitarian front, the conference provides an opportunity to highlight the need for donors to continue to respond generously and on the basis of needs, to invest more in livelihoods and basic social services, to increase the resilience of households in Somalia to future economic shocks and to help reduce the likelihood of future famines; andwe want the conference to agree on how we handle Somali issues in future, on a revitalised international contact group, on United Nations and African leadership and on more countries deploying diplomats and staff into Somalia, not just basing themselves in Kenya, as many, including ourselves, have had to do in recent years. Which countries lead on which of the follow up actions will be an important part of discussions on this point. We are still to discuss these mechanisms with our partners and final arrangements will not be known until after the conference.

Somalia

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what importance will be placed at the forthcoming London Somalia conference on finding African solutions for African problems.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have been working closely with the African Union and partners in the Horn of Africa to prepare for the Conference. We are looking to use the momentum of the Conference to agree a better package of United Nations (UN) support for African Union troops in Somalia. AMISOM (the African Union Mission in Somalia) has been extremely effective in its operations in Somalia and, given the nature of the mission in Somalia, is preferable to a UN Peacekeeping Operation.
	We are also hoping through the Conference to support and reinforce a Somali-led political process rather than creating our own blueprint or imposing solutions on Somalis.

South Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider China to be best placed to resolve the oil dispute in South Sudan; and what role the United Kingdom and other European Union countries can have without any significant investment in the oil sector.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are very concerned at the failure of Sudan and South Sudan to reach agreement on outstanding issues between them, including on oil. The decision by South Sudan to cease oil production, following earlier action by Sudan to seize some Southern oil, is worrying and could have major economic consequences for both countries. We urge both sides to reach agreement as soon as possible to allow production to restart.
	We are working with a range of partners, including the United States, Norway, and the European Union to support the African Union mediation between Sudan and South Sudan. China's interests as the major customer for oil from Sudan and South Sudan, as well as the role of Chinese companies in production, obviously give it important influence in this area. We welcome the active involvement of China over recent months in encouraging Sudan and South Sudan to reach a fair agreement and we are in close touch with Chinese officials on these issues.

Sport and Recreation

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to offer more protection for sport and recreation facilities under the proposed new National Planning Policy Framework by requiring that any recreation space destroyed as part of a development should be replaced by developers.

Baroness Hanham: Ensuring that the planning system gives proper protection to sports and recreation facilities is very important to us. The draft National Planning Policy Framework seeks to increase planning protection for community facilities. The new guidance proposed to strengthen current policy by asking local councils to consider the availability and viability of community facilities as part of the plan making process and to develop policies to safeguard against their unnecessary loss.
	The Government are also introducing a new designation to protect valued local green spaces, which has the potential to provide additional planning protection to playing fields and other open green spaces.
	These measures will also be supported by the community right to buy in the Localism Act which will provide additional protection for community spaces.
	We are giving careful consideration to the responses to the draft National Planning Policy Framework.

Sport: Sports Clubs

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the proposed scope of "regulated activity" for sport within the Protection of Freedoms Bill; which roles within clubs would be subject to criminal records checks; and whether they will issue guidance to sports clubs.

Lord Henley: The revised definition of regulated activity is based on the nature of the activity or service provided to children or adults and is set out in Clauses 64 to 66 of the Protection of Freedoms Bill. Sport is not specified as an activity but those persons providing care, supervision or training to children on a regular basis will fall within regulated activity, as will any form of health care for children or adults. An exception is made for some supervised work with children. Guidance will be provided on supervision and on the new arrangements more widely. Eligibility for criminal records checks is set out in the exceptions order to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 and regulations made under the Police Act 1997. It will be for individual sports clubs to determine which posts fall within the relevant definitions and when criminal records checks should be made.

Sri Lanka

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked the Commonwealth to play a role in Sri Lanka in relation to the allegation of the Tamil community that genocide has been committed by the Government of Sri Lanka.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have discussed Sri Lanka with a number of Commonwealth member states. As host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2013, we will look to Sri Lanka to demonstrate its commitment to upholding Commonwealth values. A key part of this will be to address long-standing issues of accountability and reconciliation after the military conflict.

Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports from Sudan of kidnappings by militias who are targeting minority groups for new soldiers.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are concerned by reports of kidnappings of ethnic South Sudanese resident in Sudan, apparently for recruitment to militia groups in South Sudan. We consider the report credible, although we are unable to confirm the scale of the problem. Reports suggest that abductees are either released on payment of a ransom or are taken to militia training camps. We have sought to corroborate these reports and have discussed them with other embassies and relevant United Nations agencies. Our embassy in Khartoum has raised our concerns with the Government of Sudan, urging them to ensure security for minority groups resident in Sudan.

Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United Kingdom Embassy in Khartoum has had discussions with the Auxiliary Bishop of Khartoum, Daniel Adwok Kur, about kidnappings by militias in Sudan.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are concerned by reports of kidnappings of ethnic southerners resident in Sudan. Our embassy in Khartoum has discussed the issue with church representatives in Sudan including the Anglican Bishop of Khartoum and the Apostolic Nuncio. We will continue to follow this issue closely, including by meeting with church leaders.

Sudan and South Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what influence they have in talks between the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan; and how they and the European Union can continue to support the African Union mediation process.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has an important role to play, given its historical ties to both countries and its role as a witness to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We continue to provide political, financial and technical support to the mediation process led by Thabo Mbeki and the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AU-HIP). The European Union is also providing support to the AU-HIP, in line with its comprehensive approach to Sudan and South Sudan.

Supermarkets

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the National Farmers Union and similar bodies will be able to provide credible evidence to the adjudicator during any investigation of supermarket practices without a specific power in the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: During the course of an investigation, the Groceries Code Adjudicator will be able to take into account any information it appears appropriate to consider, including evidence from third parties such as the National Farmers Union.

Syria

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the absence of a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria, they will work with their partners in the United Nations General Assembly to recommend a collective measure concerning Syria in line with General Assembly Resolution 377 of 1950.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), said in his Statement to the House of Commons on 6 February, we will continue to raise the situation in Syria at the UN Security Council and we have maintained our strong focus at the United Nations by supporting the UN General Assembly Resolution that explicitly endorsed the Arab League plan for a Syrian-led solution to the crisis. This resolution sent overwhelmingly an unambiguous message of the international community's condemnation of the Syrian regime's actions and intention to hold to account those responsible for the ongoing atrocities.

Syria

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will increase the assistance they provide to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in respect of refugees from Iraq resident in Syria, in the light of the difficulties of the present situation in Syria.

Baroness Northover: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been vital in providing long-term support to Iraqi refugees in Syria. In 2011 the Department for International Development provided £1 million to support UNHCR's 2011 Iraqi Refugee Regional Response Plan. In recognition of UNHCR's strong performance and important role, the UK is increasing its core funding to UNHCR to cover operations all over the world, including in the Middle East region. UK funding in 2011-12 is £39 million, which includes £20 million above normal core funding.

Syria

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make equipment and other resources available to rebel groups in Syria; whether any such resources will include military assistance; and if they intend to make such resources available, what method they will use to ensure that they are not distributed to groups including Al-Qaeda with interests and objectives inimical to those of the United Kingdom.

Lord Howell of Guildford: There is an EU arms embargo on Syria that covers both the Syrian regime and opposition forces and we are observing this. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) informed the other place on 6 February (Official Record, Col. 40), in reference to the Syrian opposition, that "we will help with advice and some logistics and practical support in order to ensure their ability to operate."
	To that end, we have so far provided training to Syrian human rights activists and are sending experts to the region to help document the crimes being committed by the Syrian Regime. In our contacts with all Syrian opposition groups, we have made clear that they work towards a democratic, representative state, respectful of its ethnic and religious minorities, and which adheres to international human rights conventions. Opposition groups active on the ground and political groups outside Syria have made clear that they disassociate themselves from al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda's recent statements about Syria.
	Any action by the Government will be in accordance with sanctions adopted by the European Union in respect of Syria. European Union Council Decision of 1 December 2011 (2011/782/CFSP), inter alia, prohibits 'the sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related material of all types, including weapons and ammunition to Syria by nationals of member states or from the territories of member states', subject to certain exemptions.

Taxation: Corporation Taxation

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Scottish Government with regard to corporation tax.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Scottish Government have made six requests for further devolution in the Scotland Bill, including the devolution of corporation tax. The Scotland Bill is currently in Committee in the House of Lords and the Government are considering the Scottish Government's representations alongside points highlighted in debate.

Television Sets

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many residents in the United Kingdom they estimate do not have a television.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Laird, dated February 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to asking how many residents in the United Kingdom they estimate do not have a television. (HL15816)
	Data on television ownership are collected at the household rather than individual level. In 2010, 1.9 per cent of households in the UK did not have a television. This is equivalent to 511,000 households.
	This estimate is based on data from the Living Costs and Food Survey, an annual survey of approximately 5,000 private households in the UK. As the survey covers only private households, people living in hostels, hotels, boarding houses or institutions are excluded.
	The estimate, as with any involving sample surveys, is subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Tourism: UK Visas

Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that United Kingdom tourist visa application forms are available for completion in foreign languages, including Mandarin, in time for the expected influx of visitors for the Olympics.

Lord Henley: The UK Border Agency accepts visa applications in over 250 locations worldwide. While it has in the past given consideration to providing visa application forms in different languages, it is not feasible to monitor and update changes to the application process or UK immigration law in every language and script. However, guidance notes on how to complete the application form are available in some foreign languages, notably Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Russian, Thai and Turkish. Locally engaged personnel in the UK Border Agency's visa application centres overseas are often also available to provide clarification in the local language if necessary.

Tristan da Cunha

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any proposals to develop a new port for Tristan da Cunha to replace Calshot Harbour.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have funded several repairs to Calshot harbour, most recently in March 2011, and a project is currently underway to increase the island's capacity to maintain harbour defences. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working with the Department for International Development and the Government of Tristan da Cunha to develop longer term plans for the Tristan harbour.

Tristan da Cunha

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the volcano on Tristan da Cunha is currently stable.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The volcano is classed as active but there has been no observed activity since a small underwater eruption in 2004. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to work with the Tristan authorities to monitor the situation.

Tristan da Cunha

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is any residual environmental damage following the accident on Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha involving the motor vessel "Oliva".

Lord Howell of Guildford: Much work was done to clean up the immediate environmental damage caused by the wreck and most of the visible signs of the sinking of the "Oliva" have now been removed by austral winter storms. However we cannot yet say what, if any, residual damage had been done as the effect on the fishery and wildlife is still being assessed. We continue to monitor this carefully, liaising closely with the Tristan authorities and relevant experts.
	The insurers of MV "Oliva" continue to meet their obligations for the cleaning up of pollution from the wreck and have compensated the territory for fishery losses in the 2010-11 season. Negotiations with the vessel's insurers over compensation for any longer term impacts of the incident continue.

Tunisia

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 15 February (WA 163-64), why the European Union agreed to extend the freeze of Tunisian assets for one year; what representations the European Union received against the extension; and what is the total value of the frozen assets.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The freeze on Tunisian assets was put in place against individuals believed to be "depriving the Tunisian people of the benefits of the sustainable development of their economy and society and undermining the development of democracy in the country". The Council agreed to extend the freeze for a further year to avoid the dispersal of funds believed to be misappropriated from the Tunisian state. Further details are set out in the Explanatory Memorandum submitted to Parliament on 19 January 2012.
	Some of those affected by the asset freeze have brought cases to the European Court of Justice to challenge their designation under the sanctions regime. However, we are unaware of any representations made to the European Union against the extension.
	We cannot give details of the assets frozen under this regime due to the confidentiality clause in the Council Regulation. We do not know the value of assets held in other European Union jurisdictions.
	The UK strongly believes that any illegally acquired assets removed from Tunisia should, following due legal process, be repatriated. We remain in contact with the Tunisian Government about how to proceed as quickly as possible and in line with European Union law.

Turkey

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Turkey about the arrest of 41 people in or near Batman, including members of a political party, and media and civil organisations.

Lord Howell of Guildford: While the Government do not plan to make specific representations about the arrest of approximately 40 people in or near Batman, we continue to raise concerns about human rights, and freedom of expression in particular, with the Government of Turkey. Here, we share the concerns expressed by the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the European Parliament over the continued arrest of politicians, journalists and others in Turkey. Our embassy in Ankara will continue to monitor the situation and lend support through programmes and projects aimed at improving human rights in Turkey
	It is encouraging that the Turkish Ministry of Justice recently announced a set of reforms to legislation aimed at addressing the length of pre-trial detentions. Along with our European partners we urge Turkey to build on these and to take full advantage of the opportunities created by the process of constitutional reform to address broader human rights issues.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Baroness Walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of the part played by the United Kingdom in the negotiation of a new optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure, and their ratification of the similar optional protocols to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the United Kingdom will sign the optional protocol at the ceremony to be held in Geneva at the end of February, with a view to ratifying it in the near future.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The UK Government are considering the implications of the third optional protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for the UK in consultation with the devolved Administrations. As the UK Government have not sponsored the instrument it does not plan to take an active part in the signing ceremony to be held in Geneva on the 28 February.

UN Human Rights Council

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the proposal submitted to the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council that a special rapporteur for religious minorities in Egypt should be appointed.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are not aware of the proposal to have a special rapporteur for religious minorities in Egypt appointed. The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council has already appointed a special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present recommendations on ways and means to overcome such obstacles. The mandate of the special rapporteur is global rather than country specific. The special rapporteur reports annually to the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.

UN Women

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the inclusion of women in the Libyan National Transitional Council in accordance with United Nations Resolution 1325.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have raised the importance of women's inclusion in the political process with the new Libyan authorities on a number of occasions. These have included the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs', my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague's), first phone call to Prime Minister al-Kib on his appointment and, most recently, when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), met the Deputy Minister for Culture and Civil Society on 7 February 2012. Our ambassador to Libya also raised women's representation in discussion with the National Transitional Council Election Committee during the drafting of the new Libyan Election Law. We are pleased that this will ensure women's representation in the new National Congress. The UK co-funded the first Libyan National Women's Conference in November 2011 during which women put their concerns directly to Chairman Abdul Jalil and Transitional Government Prime Minister al-Kib.

UN Women

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to countries involved in the Arab spring to ensure that women participate in both transitional arrangements and new political structures, in accordance with United Nations Resolution 1325.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Women played a central role in the 2011 Arab spring, where they voiced their demands for improved freedoms, opportunities and social justice. They also have a vital role to play in both transitional arrangements and new political structures as well as building stability in the region. Securing greater participation for women in all political and economic life will continue to be an essential part of our work and we will continue to press for this in our Government to government engagement in the region. The Government have made representations to countries experiencing the Arab spring. For example, in Libya the importance of women's inclusion in the political process has been raised with the new Libyan authorities.
	In our programme approach, we have worked with project partners to ensure that gender issues are taken into account, for instance by working to ensure that training courses for journalists have gender-balanced participation. The Arab Partnership Fund also supports projects with a particular gender focus, aiming to strengthen women's political and economic participation, such as a project in Tunisia led by Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS) to support a voter outreach programme targeting women voters in rural areas.
	We will shortly publish a plan for regional action on United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 in the Middle East and North Africa, as part of a revision of the Government's National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 Women, Peace and Security.

UN Women

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations about the inclusion of women in any negotiations about the future Government of Afghanistan, in accordance with United Nations Resolution 1325.

Lord Howell of Guildford: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) in the other place on 14 December 2011 (Official Report, cols. 768-69W).

UN: Security Council

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government on which occasions in the past 10 years a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council has exercised a veto, and in each case what was the issue on which the veto was exercised.

Lord Howell of Guildford: This table shows the occasions in the past 10 years where a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council has exercised a veto and the issue in which the veto was exercised:
	
		
			 Year No. of Vetoes Date Issue Vetoing Member State 
			 2002 2 30 Jun. Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina Draft Resolution on the renewal of UN peacekeeping mission (UNMIBH) (S/2002/712) USA 
			   20 Dec. Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question Draft Resolution condemned the killing by Israeli forces of several UN employees and the destruction of the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse (S/2002/1385) USA 
			 2003 2 16 Sep. Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question Draft Resolution demanded the cessation of violence and that Israel ceased to threaten the safety of the President of the Palestinian Authority (S/2003/891) USA 
			   14 Oct. Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question Draft Resolution declared the security wall built by Israel in the West Bank to be illegal (S/2003/980) USA 
			 2004 3 25 Mar. Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question Draft Resolution condemned the killing of Ahmed Yassin, the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) (S/2004/240) USA 
			   21 Apr. Situation in Cyprus Draft Resolution approved the mandate of a new UN operation in Cyprus and banned arm sales (S/2004/313) Russia 
			   05 Oct. Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question Draft Resolution demanded that Israel halt all military operations in northern Gaza and ensure that UN personnel and workers can access the region (S/2004/783) USA 
			 2005 0
			 2006 2 13 Jul. Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question Draft Resolution demanded the unconditional release of an Israeli soldier as well as Israel's immediate withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinian Officials (S/2006/508) USA 
			   11 Nov. Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question Draft Resolution on the Israeli military operations in Gaza and the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a cessation of violence on both sides (S/2006/878) USA 
			 2007 2 12 Jan. Situation in Myanmar Draft Resolution called on the Government of Myanmar to cease military attacks against civilians and ethnic minority regions (S/2007/14) China, Russia 
			 2008 2 11 Jul. Peace and Security in Africa Draft Resolution condemned the violence by the Government of Zimbabwe against civilians after the elections of 27 June 2008 and demanding the immediate cessation of violence (S/2008/447) China, Russia 
			 2009 1 15 Jun. Georgia Draft Resolution on extending UN mandate in Georgia (S/2009/310) Russia 
			 2010 0
			 2011 3 18 Feb. Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question Draft Resolution demanded that Israeli cease the construction of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (S/2011/24) USA 
			   04 Oct. Middle East (Syria) Draft Resolution called on the Syrian Government to halt their violent offensive, comply with its obligations under applicable international law, co-operate with the UN and UN agencies (S/2011/612) China, Russia 
			 Up to 15 Feb. 2012 2 04 Feb. Middle East (Syria) Draft Resolution condemned the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian Government and demanded that the Syrian Government comply with the Arab League Action Plan of 2 November 2011 and with its decision on 22 January 2012 to cease all violence. (S/2012/77) China, Russia

Unemployment: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government , for 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011, what were (1) the numbers of long-term young unemployed; (2) the total unemployment rate; and (3) the youth unemployment rate.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Roberts, dated February 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011, what were (1) the numbers of long-term young unemployed; (2) the total unemployment rate; and (3) the youth unemployment rate. HL15785
	The table provides unemployment levels and rates for the October-December three month period in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011. Long term unemployment is defined as 12 months and over. The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are seasonally adjusted. They are published in the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin which is available on the National Statistics website.
	In accordance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention, people are classed as unemployed if they are: without a job, and have actively sought work in the last four weeks; or, out of work, have found a job and are waiting to start it in the next two weeks. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people divided by the number of economically active people. 'Economically active' comprises all those who are either employed or unemployed.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the sampling variability of LFS aggregate estimates are provided in the Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			 Unemployment levels and rates1 by age and duration 
			 Three months ending December, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011 
			 United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			Thousands and per cent 
			  Unemployment rate, people aged 16 and over Unemployment rate people aged 16-24 Number of long-term unemployed2 people aged 16-24 
			 2002 5.1 123 56 
			 2005 5.2 140 86 
			 2007 5.2 139 114 
			 2010 79 20.5 234 
			 2011 84 22.2 246 
		
	
	Source: Labour Force Survey
	1 The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people divided by the number of economically active people. "Economically active" comprises all those who are either employed or unemployed.
	2 People unemployed for over 12 months

Unemployment: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are implementing to tackle long-term structural youth unemployment.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to ensure long-term employment for the 22.2 per cent of young people who were reported on 15 February to be without a job, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Lord Freud: The Government are aware of the problems facing young jobseekers in the labour market and have put in place a substantial menu of provision to help them move into work.
	Jobcentre Plus personal advisers offer a comprehensive menu of help that includes jobsearch support and skills provision. Advisers have the flexibility to tailor support to the individual at the most appropriate point in their claim. Get Britain working measures offer additional support, including work clubs, work experience, new enterprise allowance, enterprise clubs and sector-based work academies.
	The Work Programme provides tailored support to those claimants furthest from the labour market. Young claimants are referred to a provider after nine months and those with more challenging barriers to work can be referred at three months. Providers are paid on the results they achieve, and are paid more for supporting the harder to help into work.
	The Government recently announced a new youth contract, worth around £1 billion, which is designed to prevent a new generation of young people falling into the trap of long-term unemployment.
	The youth contract will provide nearly half a million new opportunities for young people-including wage incentives, incentives to take on apprentices, and extra work experience placements. Extra funding is being made available to support the most vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds not in education, employment or training into learning, an apprenticeship or job with training.

Unemployment: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Freud on 14 February (Official Report, col. 679), why he stated that "long-term youth unemployment has not changed a lot".

Lord Freud: Most of the rise in long-term youth unemployment in recent years occurred in the recession. In the two years to spring 2010 the number of 18 to 24 year-olds unemployed for six months or more on the broader ILO definition doubled from nearly 175,000 to around 350,000. Since then the increase has slowed: the latest figure is 380,000, and some of this rise is likely to have been caused by welfare reforms that are moving jobless people previously recorded as economically inactive back into unemployment. Nevertheless, the level of long-term youth unemployment is too high and the Government's policies, including the Work Programme and the recently announced youth contract, are tackling this legacy.
	The last year has seen a more significant rise in the number of 18-24 year olds claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for six months or more. However, recent policy changes mean that many people previously excluded from the benefit statistics while on work experience or government programmes now continue to receive JSA.
	Taking account of these changes, the rise in the number of long-term JSA claimants aged 18-24 since spring 2010 is broadly equivalent to the fall in the number participating in programmes that remove them from the claimant count. Keeping young people on JSA adds to the caseload in the short-term but ensures they continue to actively seek work alongside any other support they are receiving, and should improve their chances of moving into real employment.

Vehicles: Electric Power

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have instructed the police force in England to prosecute drivers of electronically assisted pedal cycles with 250 watt electric motors.

Lord Henley: The Government have issued no such instructions. Enforcement of the law is an operational matter for the police. The Department for Transport has issued guidance to the police on the categorisation of electronically assisted pedal cycles, which may assist decisions as to enforcement.

Voluntary Sector

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the burden of administration associated with volunteering, especially for voluntary aviation organisations.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We are determined to make it easier to volunteer and run civil society organisations by cutting bureaucracy. We set up the Civil Society Red Tape Taskforce, chaired by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, to identify what stops people giving more time and money to civil society organisations. Their report "Unshackling Good Neighbours", makes 17 major recommendations that we are taking forward and Lord Hodgson will review progress in implementing them in May. More generally, the Red Tape Challenge will be focusing on aviation later this year and the public will be able to say whether there are burdens that are specific to volunteering with aviation organisations that should be scrapped.

Voluntary Sector

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make it easier for employers to release their employees to assist in the voluntary organisations in which they have an interest.

Baroness Wilcox: The Giving White Paper made clear that the Government fully support and encourage organisations making time available for employees to volunteer. The Government have also made their ambitions clear with their commitment to turn the Civil Service into a civic service, supporting civil society organisations. This will encourage civil servants to give time by providing them with opportunities to use their skills and using volunteering as a means of learning and professional development both in terms of gaining new skills and experiences and also better understanding of the impact of government policies on the civil society sector.
	Under Every Business Commits, we are also challenging businesses to take action on priorities including promoting employee well-being and engaging with communities, with Government committing in return to encourage enterprise and reduce red tape to create the best conditions for businesses to succeed.

Zimbabwe

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of Zimbabwe about the detention and trial of Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Officials from our embassy in Harare are in close contact with Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). An official attended Bulawayo magistrates' court on 12 December 2011 for part of the trial of Ms Williams and Ms Mahlangu and observed WOZA's protest march held in Harare earlier this week. We will continue to monitor all WOZA court cases.
	We have made known to the Government of Zimbabwe our views about the arrest of WOZA activists and on wider human rights concerns. We urge all parties, including the security forces and the prosecuting authorities, to act in an impartial manner and to respect the rule of law. We call regularly, both bilaterally and in partnership with other European Union member states, for an end to all such abuses and the restoration of internationally accepted human rights standards in Zimbabwe.